


Green Threads of Life

by blacksilks



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Chaos, Angst?, Assholehumans, Blood, Blood and Gore, Bondage, But fast crush, Character Death, Creepy too though, Crushing, Death, Drowning, Dubious Consent, Errortale Sans (Undertale), F/M, Family, Fat!Reader, Fate, Guilt, Hot, I did say slow burn, I have no idea, I need someone to discuss this, Late 20s, Loads of death, Lots of Angst, Love, More about plot to start with, Multi, Murder, Other, Plans, Politics, Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader Is Older, Sad sad reader, Sans is so damn cute, Slow Burn, Smut, Speciesism, Speeches, Survivor Guilt, There will be smut... but not for a very long time, Trauma, What a mess Readers Life Has Become, Yes to Angst, You have a green soul, You won't get to see the AUs for... A while... I did say slow burn, a bit based on me, chubby!reader, dub con, friends - Freeform, loads of plot, monster racism, ok, so much plot, whatcha gonna do, yes it plays a special part
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 63,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacksilks/pseuds/blacksilks
Summary: Death and Life are tied by a singular thread, running through everyone and fading to the end.Your own thread is pulled taught after a shooting which left you in a coma and left the political world around the monsters in growing chaos.Your life, once calm and fun, soon is turned upside down as you wake from the coma, painful words carved into your skin and as the new centerpiece of monster and human disagreements.It's just so much!
Relationships: Everyone & Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans/Reader
Comments: 229
Kudos: 373





	1. Chapter 1

The day it all started, you were excited. It had been months since you’d gotten yourself ready for a major outing, even if it was for your job, and you could for the life of you not tone your excitement down.

Your friend, Jess, was waiting in your living room, her blonde mane in a disarray as per usual. (Y/N) could hear her singing which always made you laugh. Jess could not sing. Not at all.

Running your hands over your dress skirt, your blouse doing its job of hiding your figure and the blazer adding to your comfort, you took another look at yourself in the mirror, ensuring everything was in place.

Sure, it was exciting to go… but you still had to look professional. You did work for the Human Embassy after all. And even if the Parade was a jovial occasion, it was necessary to keep up the professional attire in any case.

Ah yes, the parade. The yearly parade which symbolized the co-working and co-habitation, the necessary trust buildup, worldwide, between humans and monsters. The first year had been a mess. Between rebellion, almost civil war and the dwindled amount of monsters on the planet, it took an entire year to get monsters rights. Perfectly enough, the bill was signed into existence on the same day the monsters had freed themselves from the underground.

You sighed again, remembering the 2 years that followed. It had been hard for you, losing half of your family due to the racism that so openly resided in those you once thought were close to you.

It all fell apart when you decided to work in the linguistic department for the human embassy, as the embassies started opening world wide, along side the increase of the monster population as well. The more countries and the more monster tribes and groups formed, the more your job required different languages to communicate between the nations. In your case, you were part of the Social Engagement and Integration committee. This had been… what… six years ago? You could barely believe how much time had passed. And even longer since monsters had been freed, you being a young eighteen as the news first broke. You started as a translator at 21 years of age, to being part of the managerial staff at 28.

The sudden silence caught your attention, Jess’ insufferable singing no longer present, which, you had to admit, you missed. It might have been horrible singing, but Jess was your best friend and everything she did you adored.

“(Y/N)! Ohhhhh, comeoncomeon, I can see the first floaters!” the excited blonde burst through your door, not even bothering to knock, making you jump.

“Gosh, Jess, you’re going to give me a heart attack girlie.” You almost shrieked in fright, hand coming to rest on your chest feeling it beat hard. Jess snorted, giving you a once over before nodding in approval.

“First you’re not dead, second, man you clean up nice (Y/N)! We need to get out there again, get you a man!” she hesitated before smiling at you “… or a woman… or whatever.”

You laughed, elbowing her gently in the side as you pushed past her into your living room, watching the shadow outside your apartment slowly make its way across the windows. They sure outdid themselves this year, you thought, with a smile.

“While I appreciate you and all of your “youness” let’s go, I really don’t want to miss out on the last treck of the parade.”

With Jess in tow, and your belongings safely in your purse, you headed out the door, the laughter and joy filled screams from outside enveloping you in renewed excitement.

The walk alongside the parade was a beautiful occasion, streamers of all colors floated through the air, glitter like substances hung around that made your skin glow wherever they landed.

The floaters themselves, made by humans and monsters alike, were absolutely breathtaking. Some of them floated, held down by vines or ropes or weird shiny strings. One, of a gorgeous mermaid, undulated in the wind, a lone Shyren waving and singing her melodies, filling the air as she drove by.

Others were of cats, some on anime, of flowers and many, many, more. Jess followed you, eyes wide in bewilderment and awe, making you giggle once or twice. She was like a kid sometimes, and you could definitely appreciate her child like wonder at even the smallest of things.

As the monster district came into view, the plaza having been build just short of five years ago, was nothing short of majestic. The grand statue of Frisk, the human ambassador, sitting on the floor next to a kneeling King Asgore, the beauty of the golden flowers, the water that came out of King Asgore’s cape and the flowers that bloomed from the twig Frisk held, it was always a sight to awe at. And right behind it the embassy of Monsters towered, it’s huge columns surrounding the podium which you knew that queen Toriel would be holding her speech today. You had, after all, helped translate it with your team to several Languages which each interpreter received a copy of.

You strode forward, Jess having finally caught up with you after trying to catch as much candy, which the Muffet floater so generously dispersed, as her thin arms could carry and you threw her an amused smile.

“Enjoying the show?” you giggles, her bright smile and the setting sun making her and her golden hair flare like a sun all on its own. You were forever grateful to have her with you.

“Absolutely!” she exclaimed, starting to gush about all the flavors and effects and colors of the candy, both human and monster alike. For how much she loved candy, she never put on a pound. You were a bit jealous.

At last, the parade (the start of the long parade at least) reached its destination and you jumped and started in awe.

As the first floater touched the statue it imploded silently dissolving into thousands of blue glittering butterflies that flew around the onlookers. Everyone was so distracted by the delicate wings of the butterflies that no one really paid attention to the parade cars being taken away to their docking station.

This process occurred for each floater. Some burst into stars, others into a million soap bubbles. It was gorgeous, and you couldn’t discern human from monster work.

By far this had been one of the most beautiful parades yet, tears brimming to your eyes at the beauty of the multicolored glittering lights finally coming to settle on everyone as the sun set. The perfect analogy of how monsters and humans should live together.

“Wow” Jess’ sigh of awe finally broke the silence between you and both humans and monsters alike started to chat amongst themselves.

You smiled “Wow, indeed. I gotta get to the stand, will you wait around for me?” you asked, still slightly breathless in awe and from the long walk. Being on the big side, you sure didn’t enjoy the heat from the walk.

As Jess nodded, you waved, pushing your way through the crowd to get to the metal temporary security gates, where both monster and human security guards stood in attention.

A small nod and a flash of your company card and you were inside the open area of the front of the embassy. No matter how many times you came here, the sight was still gorgeous.

The podium was being set up, IT people running around as queen Toriel, King Asgore and the young Frisk were still probably in the back.

You walked over to where your manager, Troy, stood, eyes as usual stuck to his phone. Always the busy man, you thought to yourself as you stood before him waiting for him to acknowledge you. Which he did, with a slight jump.

“Good lord (Y/N). Announce yourself will you?” he said, shaking his head before proceeding “Regardless, everything should be set up. Our German interpreter called in sick, unfortunately, however Markus was able to find a replacement. You would know this if you weren’t late.” While his words were stern, you knew he wasn’t really being too serious. You trusted your team. And Troy trusted you.

“Sorry Troy, the show outside was kinda too good to pass up. And the crowd didn’t make it easier.” You explained, coming to stand next to him.

“Indeed, more and more people are coming to join the festivities each year huh… And I’ve heard less and less from the opposition. I think we’re all doing great so far, even though…” he trailed off, staring back at his phone. And obvious indication he no longer wanted to talk about the subject. Nodding knowingly you fell silent as a hush fell through the crowd, Troy instantly looking up.

Toriel, the queen of monsters, approached the podium, the microphones ready for her. Her dark purple and royal blue dress a stark contrast against her white fur and the marble behind her, making her seem larger than life. Her kind smile however, made most instantly find empathy with the kind goat monster.

A cough quieted down the last of the chatter and her smile widened. Flashes of cameras lit her up as she finally started her speech with a deep sigh.

“Dear humanity, dear monsters. Today is a great celebration, of freedom, of life, of love, of friendship. 10 years ago, when we finally were able to free ourselves, with little Frisk’s help. It has been 10 years of learning and teaching, not only of magic, but of ourselves. We have reached so far and accomplished so much, learned how to live around and with each other, learned how to open our arms to those in need and learned to work on our differences.

And while not all has been reached, we has taken such grand steps to reach out mutual goal, a future where each and every one of us lives together.

For this, we need not change the public but only ourselves. For we can’t show kindness if we have no kindness within us. We can’t be just, if we do unjust upon others. We strive aimlessly for bravery if our fear overpowers our soul and courage. We must find patience within us, to understand and accept those who most need. We strive to be led by integrity and find integrity in those who have none in order to persevere as not only humans and monsters… but as equals in our determination for peace and freedom.

It is thus that I appeal to all-“

The loud bang of a gun sounded from the entrance to the foyer. It all happened so fast… too fast… as someone pushed you from behind as they scrambled to reach the podium, you caught a glimpse of the white bone of one of the Queens confidants in between the chaos. As the same time the telltale sign of blue magic fast approached you as you stumbled forward and then… pain.

Unsurmountable pain. You grasped at your chest, feeling warmth seeping from your once pristine white dress shirt. As you looked down at your hands, coming back dark with your blood, you gasped, a gurgling sound escaping your mouth as a dribble of life’s essence spilled past your teeth. Troy had disappeared in the chaos and as you wobbled on your feet someone pushed past you in a panic to the entrance of the embassy.

You fell to your knees as people kept rushing past you, and without seeing you on the floor the stumbled over you, unknowingly kicking you, blow after blow as you finally fell over, head hitting the ground hard.

And with one last breath, as your heart stopped and life gave way to the emptiness of nothing, you watched a lone blue butterfly swept into the masses.


	2. A braid in the colour of Life

It wasn’t cold where you were. It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t too bright nor was it too dark. There was no sound as much as there was no silence. Everything was and wasn’t and so were you, as much as you weren’t. You swam, or floated, or ran or walked, as nothing moved and nothing sat still.

If you approached the doors, or if they approached you it did not matter, but they were closer. How long you stood or sat or floated there you were unaware of. But you did take note of undeniable facts. The doors, all lining up in a row on either side, seemed to stretch infinitely. Yet they ended where you now stood… or floated… or sat… where you existed, you finally decided, looking at the doors with both interest and apathy. Behind you another door existed yet you decided to pay it no mind.

Indeed you had decided to just exist there for a while. The not-silence was peaceful and the not-light was soothing. Where had you been before? What had you done before? Did it matter? You decided to not-sit at the end of the… hall? The corridor? You not-looked at the doors more carefully and realized they, just like you, seemed to just exist. There were and weren’t walls. It confused you. You decided not to think.

How long had you just existed, you wondered, mind floating back to your memories. Did someone once hold you when you were sick? Did someone hurt you when you were young? Did you have friends and family? Did you love someone?

You frowned as memories tried to come to you but they fell through your grasp, like trying to hold on to water. Golden light, you remembered, blue wings, white bone… White bone… why did you feel so uneasy at the thought?

You stopped thinking about the white bone, ignoring how it made your not-body and not-soul ache. Instead you not-looked at the ground, another frown, this of curiosity, making itself apparent as you finally noticed it. Thousand and thousand of strings. All in differing shades of green, of thickness, of length. They all seemed to glitter and glow and it was such a stark contrast against the not-color of the not-space it made you uneasy. Following one of the threads with your gaze you find it leading through the lock on one of the doors. How peculiar.

The door came closer, if you moved or they did you did not know, and soon your hand fell upon the door knob. You existed there for a while, staring at the knob.

How long had you stared at the knob? Tightening your not-grip you tried to remember. How long did you stay here? What was your name again? You twisted the knob. But the door won’t open.

Annoyance. That’s what you felt. You wanted to enter the door. Looking at the green thread you stroke the glittery surface slightly. It instantly perked up, like a vine which had been dehydrated finally being given some water.

You felt a tug. Looking down, you realize, you had a green thread too. Vibrant green like fresh and young Limes, almost electric in its glow. Yet thin and faded the closer it got to your not-chest and your… SOUL?

You knew it was your soul, you didn’t know how, yet it looked so lifeless and the string… the string seemed to be draining the color from it… or was it the color of it? Was it color? Was it at all? What was what?

You blinked, thoughts getting lost and you stared at the thread. You did not know for how long, you just stared. You ran your hand along your thread. You felt the vibrancy against your fingers. As you neared the door a short distance from where you existed. This door too was locked. Yet, the handle still felt warm. With a sudden jolt, memories streamed in from the cracks of the door, of your friends, your family, your LIFE. With a sob you ripped your hand away from the not-door and stared in shock. How long had you been here? How long had you forgotten?

You decided then that your thread would not fade. Looking at the thousands of threads you didn’t know what compelled you to sit and braid. And braid. And braid. As each strand fed into the braid, your own string slowly yet surely kept dimming. But you did not stop, did not give up, you pushed, and more and more strands enveloped the braid. And as you kept braiding the strands themselves started to join it, slithering like tiny snakes across the not-floor before delving into the braid. You thought, maybe you should be alarmed but you kept working with more and more haste as the string of your soul decided to dim to almost extinguish.

With a not-breath, for courage or in fear or from pain you did not know, you took your soul from your chest, unable to keep the quivering to subside. You stroked the edges of that green soul, the light of it dull and pulsing in a last fight for life.

You would not die. Not today. Not tomorrow.

You shoved the little heart and its fading string into the middle of the now round bundle of strings and waited.

And then… the doors burst open.

You awoke. You wanted to scream in pain, to sob and shout yet there was something in your mouth. You tried to thrash yet your arms and legs did not move. Not a single twitch could be mustered as your muscles refused to cooperate.

And then the pain came. Like fire across your skin, like hundreds of blades ripping the skin open, like acid washing over you. And you could do nothing but stare at the ceiling, tears trailing down your face. There was a frantic beeping coming from your left that you could barely hear over the sound of the blood rushing through your ears and a sudden commotion around you, followed by extremely bright light, made you want to flinch away. Whatever was in your mouth was being pulled out and you could feel it, almost like an afterthought, through the pain, traveling up your windpipe. And then, it all stopped. The tube popped out, as the pain of your skin subsided and your eyes blinked away the tears in the bright light. You could hear voices, panicked and serious, all around you. You blinked, trying to will the exhaustion away through the panic you could feel yet it didn’t last long.

Black came to claim you.

Unbeknownst to you, across the city in a quaint villa at the border between Mount Ebott and the city, a skeleton jumped into action to imprison the Skeletons that just came into existence amidst the bright green glow of a thousand threads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, there we have the first 2 chapters and I am extremely excited for this. The next few chapter will take a while to come out, since I would really like to have someone to discuss my ideas with first. Yet, I hope to have the full thing outlined by next week... or at least the first 10 chapters haha (Yes, I know, I should write it completely first but, I need motivation!).  
> Again, I am on Deviantart (blacksilks) but if you want, leave me a message in the comments :D


	3. Words of Marking

The next time you awoke from the welcome embrace of silence and darkness you did so with a calm sigh. The light that filtered in from the open window sprawled itself on your sunken face, warming you with it’s rays and letting the scent of the Jasmine flowers that you could only assume crawled along the walls of the… place. You frowned and finally opened your eyes.

The white walls, the empty bed, the beeping of machines and the unmistakable smell of disinfectant could only mean you were in a hospital. You groaned and felt your throat rasp and hurt, dry and dehydrated. A shuffle from across the room made you flinch in surprise as Jess’ glowing blonde hair and worried smile entered your field of vision; her eyes bloodshot, dark circles under them, her hair unkempt and visibly oily.

“Y-o-“ you wanted to tell her she looked like shit but nothing more than another croak escaped your burning throat.

“Shut up, I know I look like shit.” She mumbled, and again you were reminded how close the two of you were. Had been for years. Like sisters. You cracked a smile and opened your mouth as Jess brought a small sponge on a stick soaked in water to your lips. You sucked on the moisture greedily, feeling your lips and tongue almost expand as they were rehydrated. This process continued, of Jess dipping the sponge in the cold water and you suckling on the sponge. When you seemed to have your fill, Jess pulled away and set the cup on the table.

“You want to try to sit up a little?” she asked in the comfortable silence that had settled between you. You nodded, not wanting to strain your throat just yet. The bed started to straighten up into a sitting position and a nurse walked in to the room, fussing over you and readings on the machine.

“Happy to have you back amongst us (Y/N).” the nurse said with a smile which you returned as she filled the papers at the end of your bed and then left the room.

“H-What.. h-happen-ed..?” you managed a slight whisper and almost regretted asking. Jess’ eyes instantly started watering.

“I- I’m so sorry (Y/N)! I should have been there, I should have came in with you, it wouldn’t have happened if I-“ she stopped her blabbering as your shaky hand took hers and you gave her a shaky smile as well. She took a deep breath and then sat down.

“Y-you were shot.” She paused, then continued “A… a speciesist radical came into the meeting and the official story is that… uh, that it was a stray bullet.” You frowned. That made no sense. You were on the opposite side of the open room. To the far left of the podium, closer to the bodyguards at the entrance of the temporary stage than to the podium. Noticing your frown she smiled nervously.

“That is the truth (Y/N) yet it’s… not the full truth… you see-“ she was interrupted as an elderly man in white robes, obviously a doctor, came into the room followed by your father and step mother. You could hear your sisters bickering outside and that alone filled you with affection.

“Miss (L/N), good morning, how are you feeling today.” The doctor asked, not really looking at you, standing at the foot of your bed as your father and step mother stood next to Jess. You swallowed and Jess finally brought the cup to your mouth, and you took a small sip which almost made you sputter as the cool liquid traveled down your throat.

“I-m… conf-use…d” you rasped, which made the doctor look up from the chart in his hands and give and understanding nod.

“Understandable, miss (L/N).” he set the chart down and folded his hands. “You have been in a coma for 136 days. Or, in other words, almost five months.” He stopped, letting you absorb the information.

Five months? You had been… you… felt Jess squeeze your hand, your father, who still hadn’t spoken, squeezing your knee and you felt your thoughts settle again.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to bring you out of it sooner as you were on the verge of passing on, but you do seem to be a fighter (Y/N).” he continued, his tone warmer towards the end. And that seemed to break the eerie atmosphere in the room as your father embraced you and your step-mother started to babble how much she had missed you. Jess stood at the table by your bed, still holding your hand tight as if letting go would cause you to disappear.

A cough from the doctor quieted your step-mother down and your father let go, still silent.

“Now, you will be required to be here for another two weeks possibly, in order to undergo physical rehabilitation and for us to keep an eye on you and your vitals. While the bullet hit your heart and lungs and we were able to remove and heal you as much as possible, along with Dr. Cemid’s magical input, you still require bed rest. You will be able to use a wheelchair starting two days from now.” Turning to your best friend and your family he nodded “And if possible, your family should massage your feet and bend your legs and knees in a paddling motion for the next few days.” He handed your father a folded sheet of paper, which seemed to have some pictures on it when he unfolded it “I also recommend not setting your feet on the floor until the third day.” And with that he left, as fast as he’d come in.

You blinked after the doctor, before your father spoke up.

“I’m… I’m so glad you’re awake Pumpkin. You scared us!” he pulled up a chair you hadn’t really noticed until now and sat. With a small “I’ll be right back” Jess left the room, only to be replaced by your two sisters.

The four of your closest family spent the next two hours recounting everything you had missed up to this point in their lives, your youngest sister cracking jokes every now and then and your father showing you pictures of the puppy that had joined the family two months prior.

For just a moment, you decided not to worry and just enjoy the love your family radiated.

-

It was close to the end of the day when Jess returned. Dr. Cemid was instructing you on how to ingest the green solution he handed you in a small cup. He was a tall carrot like being, funnel shaped with orange… skin?... and a rowdy tuft of green hair like structure on the top of it’s head. He had a large green eye, short legs and very long arms. He was quite unique. You stared at the cup. The smell, while not unpleasant, didn’t smell edible and Dr. Cemid left the room as you tipped half of the content into your mouth and let the weird liquid dissolve, then swallowed the other half of the liquid as instructed by the monster doctor. It sent a jolt through your body and chest as Jess came to sit next to you on the hospital bed. She looked a bit better at least. Your family had returned home around 20 minutes ago.

“So… are you going to tell me now what happened?” you asked, your voice still raspy and low but loud enough for Jess to hear. She nodded.

“You see, it was a stray bullet. The shot was aimed at Queen Toriel,“ your frown deepened “-but Sans, uh, one of the right hands of the queen and the king, the short Skeleton one, deviated the bullet towards his brother who had not only a bulletproof vest but also a magic field type thingy in his bag for occasions like this.” You nodded, leaning your head on Jess’ shoulder as she breathed in.

“Someone, it seems, had managed to crowd Papyrus enough for him to leave his usual spot, and as the shot occurred, he was rushing to his spot. Unfortunately it… it seems in the panic that had occurred he pushed you-“ she stopped again, wiping the tears that stung her eyes “-i-in f-front of the b-bullet. Which had been diverted towards him by… Sans…”

You sat, your eyes staring blankly at the wall opposite you, head still leaning against her shoulder.

“And then I died…?”

A sob broke out of Jess’ mouth and you hadn’t seen her this distraught before. You could do nothing but hug her and it was obvious that the whole thing had taken a lot out of your best friend. And your family… you sighed, squeezing Jess close as flashes of a doorknob and green passed through your mind. And then you remembered the pain on your skin from when you woke up the first time. With a gasp you quickly pulled the gown sleeves up your arms and stared in shock. Jess’ own gasp of shock made you turn your head towards her, her brown eyes, still watery, large and confused.

“What the-“ you both mumbled.

There, on your arm, two sentences were scribbled, scarred yet still red as they healed.

‘Jus’ fuckin’ die already!’ and ‘Oh god, oh god, I’m so sorry!’ were written, clearly visible, on your forearm and bicep.

“What the fuck-“ you whispered as Jess jolted off the bed and pushed the blankets off of your legs. More and more sentences were revealed, one clearly reading ‘You’ll fill them up to-marrow’.

What was this? Where did these come from, why such horrible... only the hospital staff had been in here... the...

“Oh god, Jess’… did they… did the staff…?” you were pale, at the edge of a panic attack and Jess quickly hugged you, exaggerating her breathing to help you through it.

“N-no.. I… These weren’t there 3 days ago… And I’ve been here with you since the first time you woke up…” she mumbled against your longer hair, which had grown considerably in the 5 months.

“Three days?” you asked, with a quiver, the panic increasing slightly. What the hell was going on? 

“Yeah, you slept for almost 46 hours straight after the first time you woke up. And I’ve not really left your side since. Either me, or your father or Sans were here… I haven’t seen Sans in a while though…” you could feel her grumble and you relaxed slightly. It was late… too much had happened…

As Jess sat next to you again, her legs slightly bumping yours, you let your eyes fall closed. You were so tired. So exhausted… as the panic induced exhaustion settled inyou fell into an uncomfortable sleep, both your and Jess’ snores filling the room soon after. A nurse poked her furry snout into the room and with a smile lowered the bed to a laying position, only getting a soft snore from the two girls on the bed. And through all this you dreamt of green fields and glittering wings, of green warm threads that surrounded you and instead of feeling trapped you felt alive, secure and vitality rushing through your dreams.

You did not, however, notice the set of eyes that peered at you through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Indeed I have still to find someone to discuss the plot line, so feel free to reach out whenever you want.   
> I do have plot set to chapter 8 (and growing, seems like this will be a LENGTHY one), but I would really like to discuss things before moving forward :D


	4. Vanilla Starting

It had been two full days since the discovery of the scars on your skin. Four days of stubbornly ignoring them and avoiding mirrors or short sleeves, all in order to pretend it had never happened. You had survived a bullet, come out of a coma which had made you lose so much weight, hair falling listlessly around your face and heavy bags still under your eyes. The extra skin from your lost weight, a loss which once you would have embraced, made you shudder in disgust and you absolutely refused to let anyone address it. Jess has come every day, along with scattered people from your family. They massaged your feet and pushed on your legs, helping you with the movement. It felt… weird.

The scar the shot left on your back, having scraped the spine and lodged itself in your lungs, ached occasionally as the skin stretched around it, but you almost found it comforting, a gentle reminder that you were, indeed, alive, and much more bearable than the feeling of numbness that encased your legs still.

As for the weird sentences on your skin, even though you had been so adamant of hiding them, the doctors, on one of your daily check-ups, took notice and quickly ran tests upon tests all which came back negative. And with that, the issue was put aside by the human medical staff. They were scars that healed well, had no infection and otherwise seemed to be just cosmetic and for the human staff, that was enough. Dr. Cemid however, would still occasionally come to inspect the scars, yet seemed to back off as he noticed you visibly flinching any time he inspected it. His last inspection had been yesterday and his mumbles of “Ah, yes, indeed… how interesting… yes,yes” did not, in fact, push you to let him resume his tests on them.

You just really wanted to forget.

A soft yet dry knock on the wood of your hospital room startled you from your thoughts, looking up from the book Jess had brought for you, something about dragons and fairies and something or other. It was more of her child-like hearts taste than yours, but it broke the monotony of the hospital.

The door opened slowly after your “Come in?” and revealed… a skeleton?

No, the skeleton… the queens right hand, uh, Sans was it? Sans the skeleton, the queens right hand, the very important image of monsters, THAT Sans the skeleton… in your room…

There was a moment of silence before his grin, which was so weird to look at, widened ever so slightly.

“… hi kiddo…” god that voice sent a shiver down your spine, his timbre low and bass-y and you subconsciously sat up a bit straighter.

“H-hello? Are you- lost? Can I help you?” your voice stumbled a bit. The queens right hand… In your room. Did something else happen? Did someone else get hurt? Was the queen ok? Why would he come to you- was it Troy? Was he-

“Hah, yeah, no, I’m here to visit you… to apologize.” His eyes- no, eyelights?- darted across the room, trying not to look at you which instantly made you relax. Hah, cute, he was nervous too.

“C-can I come in?” he broke the silence you weren’t even aware had settled and you, ever in your wisdom, decided to use your very unfunny humor to lighten the mood.

“I’m pretty sure you _can_ , you seem to be able to walk just fine.” You mumbled, unsure if your stupid linguistic joke, or, well, comment, would offend him. It took a moment of confused silence before a soft snort escaped Sans’ nasal cavity.

“I _may_ be able to walk, but I _will_ sweep you off your feet.” Another tick of silence.

You both started laughing softly, mumbles of “That was horrible”, “Oh god” and “yeah I know”’s following his entry and closing of the door.

“Sans, right?” you questioned as you nodded to the empty chair which Sans took, an air of tiredness about him that made you wish you could offer him coffee.

“’s right, kiddo, Sans the skeleton, at your disposal.” He said, shaking your hand slowly, ever so gently, as if he was afraid to break you. You smiled, shaking his hand back, stronger and more assured than before. His shoulders seemed to relax a bit.

“Ah yes, figured, I think we met briefly at last years rally assembly downtown. I believe your, uh, your brother -Papyrus, right?- had written that absolutely astounding piece about Monster food and how the FDA was still biased against it. What ever did come of that? Did they finally accept that restaurants opening?” you were rambling, you were aware, but it still amazed you that the queens right hand was in your room… ok, hospital room.

Sans moved his hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly and nodded. “I didn’t even remember that rally, guess I have some holes in my head.” He said, pointing to his skull which pulled another snort out of you.

“Just terrible…” you chuckled relaxing against the pillow “So, what can I help you with, Mr. Skeleton?”

“Sans, please…” to which you nodded, with a joking “Mr. Sans” which made him groan but his smile softened slightly. How the hell does bone do that?

“Just wanted to check on you and wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?” you questioned, head tilting. He ‘blinked’ which you decided not to think about how he did it, then huffed.

“You got shot because I put you in that position. I’m the one who deviated the bullet. I’m the one who ultimately caused y-your… d-dea-“ you interrupted him quickly, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer, the sudden movement making him stop talking.

“You didn’t kill me. You didn’t shoot me. You are not the responsible one for my coma. I am alive, I’m recovering, see?-“ you paused to wiggle your toes and bend your knees slightly before returning your (E/C) gaze to Sans’ slightly trembling eyelights. You didn’t know how you knew, but you knew he felt guilty. Overwhelmingly guilty.

“You are not to blame for what happened and I really don’t want you to think that you were, Sans. Only one party is at fault here, and it’s those disgusting, horrible, terrible, vile, sickening, repulsive-“ Sans put his other hand on the one which was still holding his phalanges which you, unknowingly, had started squeezing in your anger. “What I mean to say, is, you’re not the one who shot me. You had to protect the queen, you had to do something, and it was circumstance, fate and bad friggen luck that made that bullet hit me.” You looked up into his wobbling eyes, unable to understand how those eyelights could hold such emotion, but you could almost feel the relief wash over him, like a blanket of warm water over freezing bones. You blinked as he pulled you to him, in an awkward sideways hug, his skull pressing into your hair.

“I’m so sorry kiddo I really didn’t mean for any of it to happen and I wish I could make it all better and you almost died because of me and my brother and I really want you to feel better because we never wanted to hurt you and whoever did this will pay for what they tried to do and what they did and-“ he stopped as you hugged him, hard, pulling him down to kneel on the bed as your arms squeezed him in a tight hug. Your eyes watered, tears threatening to spill at the pain in his deep voice, his fast rambling of words spilling over his teeth a testament to how long he’d been wanting to tell you.

“You’re not at fault Sans.” You whispered softly. “I know you’re not the one to blame. I forgive you.”

Both of you stayed like that for a while, oddly comfortable in such a familiar and intimate position, before he let go and took his seat again, a blue tint covering underneath his eyelights and across his zygomatic bone. Wait, was he blushing? How adorable!

He sat up with a jolt, pulling out his phone and laughing “Ah, damn kid, I forgot I brought you something!” he exclaimed, the heavy air dissipating in seconds and he was…. What the… his phalanges slipped inside the phone and then came back out, a bouquet of white roses in his hand and a teddy bear holding a box of chocolates following the second time he reached in.

“What the-“ you mumbled, staring at the phone which looked just like… any regular phone?

“Oh-hah- A dimensional box? Every monster’s got one.” He chuckled, the sound dark and rich, like melted chocolate. Damn, hot.

He pocketed his phone in his hoodie, your eyes following the movement.

“H-how-“ you asked in awe to which he chuckled again, moving his hand in an arch in the air with a “Magic” emphasizing the “M” which a chuckle.

You giggled and Sans handed you the stuffed bear as he put the roses on the bed side table, their perfume sweet and a welcoming break from the clean smell of the room.

As Sans fussed with the flowers you looked at the adorable little bear, a little card sticking to the chocolates reading “Can’t bear to see you sick” which made you giggle again. How cute.

“I’d think you’re trying to woo me, if I hadn’t had you in my bed already.” You joked, before slapping a hand over your mouth.

There was a beat of silence, Sans standing unmoving before he laughed. And laughed harder and soon the both of you were laughing, tears in your eyes, and any strangeness gone into the void.

-

It was later in the day, Sans having apparently taken quite a few hours to spend with you, when the nurse who usually helped you get cleaned, entered the room, a wheelchair in tow. Sans looked from you to the wheelchair and then to the nurse who smiled softly.

“I believe you’re getting a bit tired of being stuck in your room, no, Miss (L/N)? It’s a beautiful day out.” And indeed it was. The prospect of fresh air and sun had you looking at Sans and then the Nurse hopefully.

“I must warn you, the first touch of your feet on the ground might be very painful. I would suggest sitting on the side of the bed for at least 10 minutes or more before being moved to the chair.” She pushes the wheelchair into the corner and out of the way, coming to inspect your feet. “And it would be best to put on these socks and slippers.” She says, handing them to you with a gentle smile. “Call us once you’re ready.” she squeezed your leg gently and left the room.

Confused yet excited you looked to Sans, who had been in the middle of telling a story of how he tripped and fell into the fountain in Monster Square, who lifted a…. brow-ridge-ocular-frontal bone? … quizzically.

“I want a Vanilla Coke.” You stated matter of fact-ly, and Sans huffed in a laugh pushing the chair back in order to stand.

“Well, you heard the Nurse Miss. (L/N), lets get you sitting.”

You nodded, removing the blanket from your legs and moving them slowly towards the side of the bed. They felt like led. You frowned but snapped your eyes up to Sans who was smiling gently at you, as he reached his arm out, gently moving his phalanges under your Pajama covered legs and with a supporting hand on your back turning you so you were sitting on the edge of the bed, feet dangling above the floor.

It… felt weird. Like your feet and legs had fallen asleep, a static-like electric jolt making your feet and legs tingle unpleasantly, an urge to stand up to get the feeling to subside making you twitchy.

“Hey, kiddo, you alright?” Sans’ voice broke through your focus on the feeling, making you look up at him blinking.

“O-oh, yeah, just, feels like my legs and feet fell asleep.” To which Sans looked at you confused.

“How do- How do legs and feet sleep? I thought, they sleep when, when all of you sleeps? They don’t have-eyes?” his confusion and adorable expression make you snort loud, shaking your head.

“It’s not really falling asleep, haha, it’s a human thing. When blood doesn’t reach the extremities, like feet or our hands, they go really numb and you lose feeling in them. We call that “falling asleep” because, well, you can’t feel them. When blood starts returning it feels like…. Hmmm… like static, or pins and needles.” You tried to explain, leaning back on your arms gently swaying your legs over the edge.

“And how do you wake them up?” he asked, bending down slightly to inspect your bare feet, poking a phalange into the soft skin, eyelights going wide as the skin went white then returning to its original color. You blushed, before wiggling your toes. “You wait normally, apply pressure or move the limb. Jess and my family have been doing massages, but they haven’t been here today, so I’m just-“ you gasped and stumbled over your words as Sans took one foot and started to prod the sole and the top then settled into a soft rhythm.

Silence settled between the both of you, a slight blush on yours and his face, if the blue dusting on him was anything to go by. It felt weird, yet oddly familiar, Sans helping you through the numbness and yet you having only known him for all of three hours at most. And yet, you felt at ease, comfortable with this, basically, stranger who had gotten you sho- no, it wasn’t his fault at all, he was doing a job and it was because of circumstance and bad luck that you got the brunt of it. And yet… you looked at his face, the skull rounder and softer than any skull you had ever seen, seemingly malleable judging by the slight ‘frown’ he wore. He seemed taller than yo7u by a few inches, broad and sturdy with a wide shoulder span and substantial mass. He looked… like nothing you’d ever seen and yet oddly attract-

“-squishy but so fragile. You humans always have such weird expressions, falling asleep, skipping a beat, goosebumps-“ you giggled again and he stopped, looking up at you with a grin and holding a closed fist towards you. You stared for a bit before understanding that he wanted you to bump his fist with yours and frowning you did so.

“Hooooooooonk” you blinked, then laughed.

“Oh for god sake’s Sans, Goosebumps? Really?” you pressed out through your laughter, to which Sans only let out a “Heh”, letting go of your feet. You scooched closer to the edge of the bed, grateful that your feet felt less like pins and set one foot on the floor.

Pins… Pins and coal and fire and needles and electric shocks. That’s what it felt like, running through the soles of your feet and up your calves, a stream of pain that dissipated slowly as you lifted your foot with a yelp. Sans, who had been standing in front of you lifted his own foot, in shock, rushing to stabilize you from falling from the bed.

“Wh-what the hell was-“ you stuttered as a Nurse rushed in, the same kind nurse from before.

“Miss (L/N) please, you should have called me!” she admonished gently, firmly pushing past Sans who stood back next to the wheelchair, obviously nervous. Indeed she had to you that…. Indeed you had forgotten.

Looking at Sans apologetically you turned your full attention to the Nurse.

“Your feet have not touched ground in over 4 months. The nervous system along with the tendons and musculoskeletal system will require some…. Rehabilitation.” She smiled gently, pulling your feet up and putting on the socks you had completely forgotten and then the slippers. It… it hurt. Not as much, but there was a stabbing burning feeling you couldn’t really describe. As if on cure the Nurse, Agatha as you could now read her Tag, took a small cup filled with the green substance which you, as instructed, let dissolve first then swallowed the other half. The effect was almost immediate and you were glad as the pain, while still present, subsided slightly.

“Is that green magic?” Sans voice made you perk up in curiosity and look at Agatha.

“Modified magic, yes, a contribution between Dr. Cemid and Dr. Alphys. Its modified to better funnel blood platelets and specified medication towards affected areas. It does not fully heal you but it speeds up the process significantly. Specifically modified for Humans.” She said, standing up again and smiling at Sans as you lowered your feet onto the ground. While still painful it didn’t hurt nearly as much as before.

“Now before I call the nurses to move you to the chair, please do not attempt to walk or stand even. Your musculoskeletal system is not ready read for such a cargo, Physical Therapy will start tomorrow. I will call the N-“

“Nono, I’ve got this.” The tall skeleton said, then adding “I always wanted to sweep a lady off her feet.” With a daring wink? How did he-

You squealed again, indignantly as he swiftly picked you up bridal style, in a way no one had ever done before. You blushed hard, trying not look up at the grinning skeleton and ignored the first shocked then amused sounds coming from the Nurse on the opposite side of the bed, yet couldn’t help the flustered “You will never smell my de-feet!” which caused the Nurse to burst out laughing as she left the room.

-

As Sans pushed you past doors after doors you soon became quite confused. You were unsure of it was a figment of your imagination, yet… often you would see colors. Sometimes purple-ish sometimes blue, other times white and gray. You frowned, the sight rocking a faded memory into present as you observed a woman, on a gurney, being pushed with a bunch of EMT surrounding her. You must have been on the way to the outside, passing by the emergency ward, the rush of people and noise unpleasant after the days in the relative silence of your private room. You looked up at Sans who was pushing the wheelchair temporarily quiet.

“Sans?” you piped up, his “Hm?” informing you he was listening. “What are all these colored lines? Is it magic?” you asked, looking ahead again, missing the confused look Sans gave you.

“Colored lines?”

“Yes, see, that lady that just passed us, there’s this… weird string like thing following her, a very pretty blue. What is that?”

At Sans silence, you looked back up at him, catching his confused eyelights “You see colored light?”

“Yeah, that lady over there has a purple line, and that man there yellow and I see this green light sometimes around me and-“ you lurched forward slightly as Sans stopped looking at you in confusion.

“That’s…. weird…” he muttered, before nodding at a random guy sitting in the waiting room.

“Can you see this mans color?” he asked, leaning his Ulna on the back of your wheelchair, very intent on hearing your response, to which you shook your head.

“No, I can’t see everyones, just some peoples I guess? Is it not magic?”

Sans shrugged and started pushing you again towards the exit. “Not anything I’ve seen so far, but this is, in fact, the monster human ward, they might have something to easily find whomever you came with or something?” it sounded reasonable, but you could tell Sans wasn’t quite convinced. Considering the green magic and the monster patients and doctors walking around, though, it could be something like that.

Sans stopped by the small coffee shop at the entrance, buying some fizzy water for himself and a Vanilla Coke for you, before resuming to push your wheelchair outside into the sun, the cold beverages in your hand a nice clash with the sudden wash of hot air and sun.

The silence between the both of you was comfortable as Sans pushed you across the entrance of the hospital, mindful of bumps or inclines and occasionally holding his hand out for the drink. The hospital park was empty save for an older lady and her, presumably, grandson sitting at the entrance of the green space, yet Sans was quick to guide the both of you closer to the small pond in the middle, watching the ducks swim around lazily.

Taking a sip of the coke, your eyes fell on your sleeve, wanting so bad to just take the warm material off and enjoy the sun. You sighed, before turning to Sans who was throwing small pebbles into the pond.

“Sans?” you again piped up, followed, again, by his deep baritone “Hm?”. You coughed slightly, twiddling with the hems.

“DO you…. Is…” you stopped yourself before resuming again. You- You wanted to know.

“Have you ever heard of words suddenly appearing on skin o-or, uh, scales or, uhm-“

Sans looked back at you, once again confused, shaking his skull in the negative.

“You have some weird questions, kid.” He mumbled, which made you throw a handful of grass at him, sprinkling over him like confetti. There was a beat of silence before both broke in laughter, the mood instantly lifting.

“You sure are a rib-tickler.” Sans chuckled, which made you groan, shooting back a “Yeah, got a right funny-bone” which made you and Sans giggle all over again.

What a perfect day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, it's a long'un!
> 
> Sorry for the delay, but, enjoy!
> 
> I suck at dialogues, but hey, at least we get some Sans :D


	5. Energetic Apple Tea

In the two days following Sans’ visit the both of you shared messages, puns and jokes often. You had learned that while Sans was indeed a member of the royal monster embassy, and as you knew the right hand of queen Toriel, you were surprised to learn that he only did so as a part time confidant position while he indeed had a 9 to 5 job as a science and astronomy teacher and researcher at the Ebott University. It was interesting to you, hearing him babble about his passion for the stars, which made you giggle at the star puns that followed. It was nice to have a new friend to talk to and between the jokes and the puns, the fact that indepth conversation about science, astronomy and learning more about magic and magical theories made him one of the most interesting people you’d had the pleasure of talking to.

You had quickly learned that he had also gotten good friends with Jess during your coma, something you didn’t doubt considering Jess’ inate ability to make anyone she’d see more than twice become her friend. You loved that girl.

You shook your head out of your thought’s, looking back at the babbling skeleton you currently had on facetime as he was working on something or another at the university while you were having lunch.

“- and you would not believe how difficult it is to get your phalanges on some of those coils, I have been looking for them and even the boss’ boss couldn’t get his little human hands on one of them for me. Pal, I would not believe it. I might just get to work, make my own, some elbow-ne grease is not all that bad right, kid?” Sans muttered. For someone you’d learned could be quite lazy, when it came to science or… well anything he was passionate about, he was a flurry of movement. You felt like it was a side he didn’t show a lot of people.

“Probably not a bad idea, but I might be able to find those coils for you. Troy has more contacts than I do, but I’m not all that useless you know.” You smiled looking at the phone resting against the water bottle for support. You were unable to read Sans’ expression, but the silence made you shift, a bit uncomfortable.

“You’re not useless, you know, Y/N?” his voice lacked the usual excitement or even his drawl you gotten to enjoy. It sounded serious. It made you flush.

“Oh, uh- yeah- I, uh-“ you stammered, looking away from the skeleton.

Deciding to spare you, Sans’ quickly changed the topic only too aware of how uncomfortable you had become

“Anyways, listen kid, I’d uh- I’d like to take you out for a… a coffee when… you know-“ he waved a hand as if to motion to your room when you looked back at the screen, noticing that his face- skull?- had darkened slightly along the cheekbones with a blueish tint. You, yourself, felt a flush rise to your own cheeks.

“Sans, are you asking me on a date?” you giggled, flushed yet smiling bright.

His reply made you flush harder as a “uh- y-yeah, I m-mean only if you… uh… if you want it t-to… be?” spilled over his teeth.

You laughed, seeing him rub the back of his skull bashfully, but the legitimate smile on his teeth was adorable to say the least.

“Well, I don’t really want coffee-“ you watched the smile falter slightly before you rushed your answer “-but I would love to be treated to a nice vanilla Coke and a cupcake, maybe?”.

You watched in awe as his eyes… eyelights… seemed to shine a bit brighter.

“Cool, ‘k kid, it’s a date th-“ he got cut off just as your blushing seemed to want to engulf you as a commotion behind him made him jump into action, watching as another skeleton zoomed across the screen behind Sans too quick to see. Probably Papyrus, you rationalized as Sans swore looking back at the phone “Shit- Alright muffin, I got’a go.” And without another word the call ended.

You leaned back against the headboard of the hospital bed, pushing the now finished tray of food to the side and started scrolling aimlessly through your phone. For a Wednesday, you were now bored. It had only been a week so far, but you were starting to lose patience of laying in bed. While starting the therapy for your recovery, it still didn’t provide enough input to keep you distracted from your thoughts. And you really…. Really…. Didn’t want to delve into that cesspit of darkness.

Luckily Troy had stopped by just yesterday with promises to come by more often, which you knew he would definitely not do, but with the good news that any expenses had been paid for until your full recovery as a good faith gesture from both human and monster embassies combined. You resolutely tried not to think about the political and social ramifications of your near-death experience.

Jess, your family and a couple of other coworkers had dropped by for a short visit as well, trying to keep you busy, but even that was not enough to get you out of your thoughts. You wanted out. You wanted to walk. You wanted to-

“-YES, SHORT HUMAN, I REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF ONE OF YOUR HEALING KIND, YES-“ the loud voice filtered through your ajar door, the mumble of one of the nurses answering it, before the loud smash of your door against the wall almost threw you out of the bed in fright.

“YES, THERE YOU ARE HUMAN, I’VE BEEN SEARCHING ALL OVER FOR YOU! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HERE TO HEAL AND HELP YOU THROUGH-“ he barely noticed the small monster nurse that rushed in behind him as he rushed to your bed and lifted you up into a weird sort of hug, pat down and fussiness which left you dizzy and gasping for air as the tall skeleton squeezed you hard. He’d done so, so effortlessly. Had this been before the coma he’d have- you pushed the thought out of your head quickly, his loud voice booming above you.

“OH, SMALL HUMAN, YOU’VE GOTTEN SMALLER! AND JUST LIKE MY BROTHER, YOU LAZE AROUND ALL DAY ON THE BED, IMPOSSIBLE, I WILL RECTIFY-“ he was cut short by the very sharp tug of the small bat-like nurse on his… elbow? … ulna.

“Sir, sir, please, put our patient back on the bed please, yes sir, sir.” She mumbled quickly, almost hanging off of his arm. The sight would have been comical, had you not noticed how close Papyrus had been to dropping you onto your feet. You squealed and wrapped your arms around his long neck, unaware of the blush gracing his features as you did so.

“WHAT NOW, SMALL BAT, THIS HUMAN IS BEING LAZY AND JUST LAYING IN BED! HER GETTING ON HER FEET WOULD DO WONDERS FOR HER GETTING BETTER, SOME FRESH AIR! I HAVE READ ALL ABOUT IT IN MY HUMAN INFORMATIVE BOOK, HUMANS NEED EXERCISE WATER FRESH AIR-“

Again a sharp tug on his ulna from the little bat made you cling harder in fear of dropping to the floor.

“Yes, yes sir, indeed, but our patient, yes, she needs therapy to learn how to walk and to build muscle, yes yes.” Her trembling voice softened as Papyrus looked down at you, IV still sticking out of your arm and your legs hanging uselessly. He set you down on the bed, unusually quiet as the nurse checked you over for any damage, and moved to the corner of the room standing against the wall and looking somehow uncomfortable.

“Will She Walk Again?” he asked, tone somehow loud yet quiet, making the nurse turn around with a big smile which seemed to relax the tall skeleton… wow was he tall. You noticed he basically grazed the TV in the corner with his skull, which made you giggle as Leonardo Di Caprio on the TV seemed to look in shock at Papyrus.

“Yes, yes, of course sir, yes, she has therapy today yes.” She looked at you before resuming her check “Yes, would you, Miss yes, like to have sir yes, help you with starting therapy yes, yes?” she questioned.

Glancing at Papyrus, whom, even though you had only shortly met before the incident, already wormed his way into your heart with how giddy he seemed at the prospect of helping, you nodded your approval. You remembered having always wanted to talk and make acquaintances with the tall skeleton before, but never really having the time due to his energetic personality keeping him always too busy to stay seated in your small office for too long.

“Yes, that would be fine.” You replied, sending the Skeleton a bright grin to which you saw his own grin seemingly widen, as he clasped his hands in front of him excitedly.

“MARVELOUS CHOICE, HUMAN, WITH MY HELP YOU WILL BE WALKING IN SHORT TIME! I AM EXCELENT AT GIVING TRAINING TO ANY PARTICIPANT OF MY WONDROUS SKILLS.” he exclaimed, voice back to that cacophony he had used previously, as he approached the bed.

Both you and him watched attentively as the little bat guided you to lay on your side, running through a few exercises before guiding Papyrus to help you through the moments.

A flush rose to your cheeks as you realized the almost intimate touch of the skeletons phalanges on your calf, his wide eyelight staring at the bat monster and hanging off of every word she said, as she guided his arms in a circular motion similar to the motion of a bicycle.

“BUT MRS. NURSE-BAT, WHY CAN WE NOT SIMPLY USE MAGIC TO HEAL THE HUMAN? I CAN ASSURE YOU, MY HEALING MAGIC IS MORE THAN-“

“Yes, because sir, yes, magic affects the soul, sir, yes? But muscle is not the soul, no, no, sir, muscle if very human, with veins and capillaries and soft tissue and tendons, yes, tendons yes?”

Upon seeing Papyrus’s still confused look she continued, now also having your attention. With so much going on, and only having heard this shortly, you were, indeed, also quite intrigued.

“Miss, see, miss takes medication yes, which contains green magic, yes yes, the magic is connected and tied to the medication, yes, sir, yes, and while a human body is not the manifestation of the soul, the soul is still tied to the body, in a sort of, root system, yes, yes… interesting material…. The magic find the root system, and delivers the medication where needed. It’s still a bit experimental, yes, but Dr. Alphys and Dr. Cemid have been working hard –“ she stopped short a beeping from the room next door making her apologize quickly and rushing out.

Alone in the room with the tall…. Very tall…. Skeleton, you turned your inspection back to him, who was tapping his jaw bone in a thoughtful manner.

“INDEED HUMAN, I’M NOT VERY WELL VERSED IN THE WEIRD WORKINGS OF HUMANS, MY BROTHER IS MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE, HOWEVER I DID WANT TO COME TO ASK FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS FOR Almost Having Gotten You-“ you lurched upright, quickly taking hold of his, rather large, hands.

“Papyrus, don’t worry don’t think about it. You’re not at fault for what happened either. Not you, nor your brother are at fault.” You squeezed his phalanges before leaning back against the bed.

“But if you want, I absolutely will take you up on the offer of getting me walking again…?” you asked, eyes fixed on him, giggling as he struck a pose, like a hero, his ever-present scarf waving in the wind. Magic, you had to assume. You hadn’t felt a breeze in the room since you woke up.

“OF COURSE, HUMAN, WE WILL MAKE SURE YOU’RE WALKING TOD-“

“In a few weeks-“ you quickly interrupted.

“-YES OF COURSE, THAT WAS WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY ALL ALONG, NYEH HEH HEH, I, THE GRRRREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HAVE YOU WALKING In A Few Weeks…” he trailed off, but your giggle made him look back at you and you could feel that you and him would become great friends.

Papyrus made you laugh. He tried hard not to tickle you while doing the training the nurse gave him, but it was nigh impossible to keep the laughter at bay as his long thin yet sturdy phalanges gripped your feet. Even clad in socks, the touch made you giggle yet with the little energy you had in your legs, you were not able to push the digits away.

Papyrus, on the other hand was huffing, even though he was clearly affected by your contagious laughter, as he attempted to still your wiggling.

“FRANKLY, SMALL HUMAN, YOU WILL GET NOWHERE LIKE THIS, STOP SQUIRMING AROUND LIKE A BABY-BONES!” he exclaimed. Amusement and frustration more than apparent in his stance.

He’d been coming around for the last 2 days after his first visit and you could feel the small improvements already. It was interesting how focused Papyrus was, often times exclaiming “HUMAN, YOU MUST NOT TALK, YOU MUST FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION AND WILL INTO HEALING YOUR HUMAN BONES! NO MORE LAZYING AROUND, LITTLE HUMAN!”

You tried again to stifle your giggles, before Papyrus gave up with a huff, but you could see right through his frustrated attitude.

“Papyrus, it’s not my fault I’m ticklish. And your greatness does manage to find all my ticklish spots! And also… didn’t you say a few days ago humans need fresh air?” you crossed your arms, knowing full well Papyrus would jump at the chance and sure enough, he did. At least you’d be spared the tickle torture.

“AH YES, OF COURSE, I’M GLAD YOU REMEMBERED MY WISE WORDS, Y/N! WE SHALL POST HASTE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FRESH AIR! VERY WELL COME ALONG THEN-“ he exclaimed as he walked out the door in long strides, fully expecting you to follow him. You laughed as you sat up moving your legs over the side of the bed and carefully placing your socked feet on the ground. You sighed in relief at the lack of pain and giggled again as Papyrus’ loud foot steps re-entered your room, his eyelights looking somehow sheepish, skull slightly bowed and shoulder plates pulled up. He looked adorable which made you giggle.

He quickly helped you into the wheelchair, the nurse rushing in to hand the green medication to you as Papyrus started a quick pace out of the calmer Hospital rooms and into the hustle and bustle of the main Hospital building then out the front door and into the Hospital gardens. He talked animatedly about his Job, which you quickly learned wasn’t only as part of the Queen entourage or Confidant, but most of the time he worked at one of the most notorious Pasta places as the main cook. “Pasta for Pasguetti” has opened only a short two years after Monsters reached the surface and was highly valued for the amazing Pasta dishes. And not only traditional pasta. It specialized in Pasta, Vermicelli, Ramen Pasta, Rice Pasta and so many types of pasta like dishes, or that contained pasta like food.

You’d personally never been, but Papyrus was quick to assure you he’d take you once you felt better.

“Like, a date?” you teased, mirth clear in your eyes but could hold back your giggle as Papyrus skull lit up a light shade of orange, then quickly blushed yourself as his voice softened to his “Perhaps, Human…” answer.

As Papyrus pulls you out of the wheelchair and gently sits you down on the garden bench almost a full hour later, your hands full of sandwiches and iced tea for the both of you you’d grabbed from the cafeteria on the other side of the Hospital, the comfortable silence makes you sigh contentedly in the sun.

Papyrus sits next to you, his eyelights friendly and smile on his teeth seemingly genuine.

“YOU KNOW, HUMAN, EVER SINCE THE INCIDENT I’VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ENJOY SOME TIME OFF… THESE LAST FEW DAYS, I MUST ADMIT, THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE APPRECIATED YOUR COMPANY A LOT.”

You grin up at him, smile wide, eyes closed in the sun an hand him his Sandwich and sweet tea.

“Well, the great and amazing Papyrus is more than welcome to spend time with me-“ you wiggled your toes, Papyrus following your gaze to the slight lift of your legs. “-and anyways, I don’t think I’d be recovering so fast if it wasn’t for your extraordinary help!”

His blush, you assume, returns and you watch fascinated as the color spreads slightly from his nose bridge across his cheekbones, a soft “Nyeh heh heh” falling from him. Cute.

As you start unwrapping the sandwich, you stole glances at Papyrus every so often, watching him stare ahead almost blankly. You couldn’t place it, nor really tell how you knew, but you could tell he felt tired.

“Papyrus?” you mumbled, setting the sandwich to the side, turning to face him, his out of character “Yes, Human?” sounding as tired as you could tell he felt.

“Are you ok?”

He stopped, slowly moving his eyelights to face the ground.

“May I Be Frank With You, Y/N?” he asks, the sudden shift in mood wanting to grab his phalanges reassuringly. You couldn’t explain how in just two days he had wormed his way inside you life and heart, but you knew you never wanted to see him hurt or frowning, the way he was now. So you reached over, took his Phalanges into your own hands, and gave them a gentle squeeze as you answered “Of course…”

He stared at your intertwined hand with his phalanges, giving a small squeeze in return, before moving his eyelights to your own E/C orbs.

“I… Must Apologize, For Myself And For My Brother. We-“ he paused and sighed, looking back at the ground.

“Sans Told Me You Comforted Him And Said He Wasn’t To Blame For Your-“ he cut short at your harsh intake of air and quickly continues, his voice dropping even further, soft yet somehow sad and defeated. You hated seeing him like this “-uh, incident, but Y/N, we are to blame. Not in the same sense that that horrible human is, but it was our actions and our oversight that put you in the state you were. Sans barely slept, h-he-“ he squeezed your hand again, stroking the back of your hand absentmindedly. “-h-he’s been wracked with guilt, and then the construction started and then our cousins showed up and everything’s a mess and I don’t-“

He stopped as you pulled him by his hand to you, giving the extreme tall skeleton a hug around his chest. He froze, your arms around his chest, before he picked you up and hugged you tight, breath almost knocked out of you. You didn’t care, hugging back almost as tight as you whispered your words to him

“Pap… it was traumatic, it was scary, but none of it you nor your brother should feel responsible for. What happened was horrible, yes, but it wasn’t your intention to put me in that spot, as much as it wasn’t Sans’ intention to divert the bullet into…. Into me… I-“ your breath was squeezed out of you as Papyrus hugged you tighter, only letting up as your wheezes of “air, air” broke through to him. He pulled back, eyelights searching your face before the smile on his teeth turned genuine and relieved.

“You Are A Very Kind Soul, Y/N.” he smiled, setting you back on the bench next to the food.

You smiled, quickly grabbing the sandwich and handing it over to him.

“And you, Papyrus, are fantastic.”

He took the sandwich from you, folding the wrapper neatly on his jean clad femur, as he eyes you ripping the wrapper from your own food. You lifted the sandwich slightly, with a “Bonne Appetit” before biting into the food.

It was heaven… after weeks of that bland hospital food, the rich taste of the bread, the creamy butter and your favorite savory filling was a pleasant reprieve from the monotony. You looked up to Papyrus only to see him very confused.

“BONE… APPLE… TEA…?” he looked green and queasy but when the words sank in, you snorted loud, pieces of your Sandwich flying out of your mouth while simultaneously invading your windpipe which cause you to start coughing violently while you tried hard to refrain from laughing.

Papyrus looked very queasy and hesitantly pat your back to help you through your coughing fit. Yet as he mumbled “Bone Apples? Those… Bones And Apples In A Tea-? That’s-” which caused you to wheeze in laughter again, sandwich forgotten and tears in your eyes.

“N-No P-Pap!” you wheezed in between giggles and coughs “B-Bonne Appetit!” you coughed a bit of Sandwich out, landing with a wet plop on the sidewalk.

“I-It’s F-french, f-for “Enjoy Your Meal”!” you giggled again leaning back and taking a deep breath, the laughter still attempting to escape your body. Biting your lip hard, you looked to Pap again, snickering at the green tint and confused expression on his skull.

“It has nothing to do with bones, apples or tea. It literally mean “Good Appetite”, it’s an expression we use before e-eating.” You giggled again, but saw the look on Pap’s face relax, his teeth stretching wider in an honest grin. Huh…. You wondered how his skull did that.

As you calmed down from the laughing fit, absentmindedly eating the sandwich, the heat from the sun started seeping through the jacket, and while it had been comfortable to start with the heat built and you could feel yourself sweating slightly.

You finished the sandwich quickly, peeling off the warm wool jacket in between bites, enjoying the new freedom and the air tickling the soft hairs on your arms. Both of you enjoyed the silence and the sun in the relative peace of the small oasis of green in the hospital back.

As you went to reach for the cold beverage next to you, you caught sight of Papyrus’ eyelight, wide, his teeth parted and his expression akin to shock. You followed his line of sight and landed your gaze on your arms… your scarred arms… the words “Oh God” glinting pale in the light.

Papyrus met your gaze as you looked back up at him. “You Have Those Too-?” he seemed shocked, his statement a mix of a question and a statement. You went to reach for the jacket quickly, but Papyrus phalanges on your arm stopped you, as he grabbed your arm gently, pulling it closer to his skull.

You jolted as he let go and quickly stood up pacing away quickly, before stopping stiffly returning and moving you to the wheelchair.

You tried to get his attention as he quickly, very quickly, pushed you back to your room, arriving in a record time. He patted your head and left.

What the hell just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo boy, long one


	6. Green Empathy

It had been over 10 days now of being in this forsaken hospital. You wanted to pace, but your progress had slowed down ever since Papyrus stopped replying to your messages or showing up in the last 2 days. The doctors had determined to keep you longer than anticipated, which caused your frustration to spike. Jess had to stay at work longer, which meant that you had less interaction with people and your family had returned back to across the country. You were bored… you were anxious… You felt like you were on pins and needles. You really wanted to get out of there.

So of course, when the physical therapist asked if you were ready for the next step of therapy, you were all too excited to try.

Maybe too excited…

The pain shooting through your muscles and tendons was almost as unbearable as the first time you had set your feet on the ground. Only this time, it spread through your entire legs. You hung to the nurse for dear life as your legs shook and buckled, yet you insisted on taking that first step and gasped from the pain. It didn’t feel like anything was broken, but it felt like every cell was pulled too tight, too warm, too tense, muscles cramping and tendons burning. The sound of the therapist reminding you to “breathe, just breathe” felt distant and you almost wept with relief as the other therapist pushed the wheelchair behind you.

You felt like you had run a marathon.

Sweaty and shaking, you leaned back as the nurse smiled at you and placed some electric wires on your thighs and your arm and turned on the small machine sending small electric tingles causing your muscles to contract and relax periodically.

“You did great, Y/N. 3 full steps!” he grinned, as he strapped the wire and the device to the wheelchair.

“Now let that run for around half an hour and I will be back to get it from you, alright Miss?” he asked and didn’t wait for an answer before leaving your room. Rude.

You sighed, settling back against the wheelchair, feeling the contractions of your muscles as the electric thing did its work, and pulled out your phone.

Scrolling through the messages, your eyes landed on Papyrus’ chat and you thought, for good measure, you’d give him a call.

You were just about to press the green call button when a sudden surge of… something… made you look up in confusion as Sans just… popped into existence?

You reeled back, wheelchair effectively rolling you away from the taller skeleton at the sudden movement. His panicked eyelights snapped to you at the movement and he quickly rushed forward to you in quick strides, which looked so weird in comparison with his more relaxed nature.

“Y/N! Are you ok? Is everything alright? Are you hurt? Are you hurting? Who did it? Where are they? I felt you- I –“ he almost shouted before he stopped short, quickly detaching his phalanges from your shoulders and turning swiftly to the door as the small bat nurse rushed in.

In the blink of an eye, too fast to register, the poor bat nurse followed by an exhausted Jess had a slight blue sheen around them and seemed frozen in place. Your eyes darted to Sans’ his visible eyesocket blazing blue, dark eye-bags under them and body tensed.

“WHAT-THE-FUCK?!” you yelled snapping out of the daze, and Sans, as if a spell had been broken slumped in on himself, blue haze vanishing leaving behind a panting Jess and nurse and a very deflated looking skeleton. He stuffed his hands inside his pockets, looking between you and Jess and the nervous nurse apologetically.

“Heh, s-sorry about that, didn’t mean to pop in unannounced…” and as quickly as he had appeared he walked out the door leaving behind 3 very confused room occupants.

Jess’ followed him with her eyes, before making her way shakily to your bed and letting herself fall face down. You didn’t notice the bat-nurse rush out of the room flustered.

“What the hell was that?” you said, rolling yourself closer to your friend laying on the bed, the device completely forgotten.

Jess lifted her head and shot you a tired grin, before rolling on her side with a murmured “Paint me like one of your French girls” which earned her a smack on the arm.

“Seriously Jess, what was that?” you repeated as Jess quickly helped you back onto the bed, carefully turning off the device and removing the small wires glued to your thighs.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never seen Sans like that at all.” She said, settling you comfortably on the bed before laying down next to you.

“I mean, like, I saw him when he was here right? Like, both him and his brother were here often, once a week at least, and always kept in contact with me when they couldn’t make it. Poor Sans, that innocent little skeleton felt so guilty for the whole thing-“ you scoffed at ‘little’ but didn’t interrupt her as she continued “- and Papyrus was so quiet. I mean, he wasn’t quiet to start with, unlike Sans, Papyrus he-“ she giggled as she moved her eyes to the ceiling and you settled next to her doing the same.

“-he barged in, all tall and concerned and almost insisting he’d fix you up, he’s great at healing magic, if the doctors would just let him. I feel bad for laughing, Y/N.” she said with a snort and you punched her arm lightly, no real malice behind it.

“You know he barged in here too? That’s one tall and rambunctious skeleton if I’ve ever seen one.” You giggled, giggle intensifying at Jess’ expression “Don’t look at me like that! I have other friends you know? I am quite popular!” at Jess’ snort you punched her again lightly, before settling back down next to her.

“I’m glad he came, Jess…. I’m glad you came…” you felt the sting behind your eyes, the threat of tears building but you refused to cry about this. You were alive, you lived, and you would be fine, you told yourself… then why did something in you hurt so bad?

A commotion outside your still ajar door had Jess’s and your eyes dashing towards it only for both of you to quickly sit up at the light knock that rang in the sterile room, the soft voice that followed, one you had only heard a few times before, and yet never personally.

“May I come in, my child?” asked a rather large Goat Monster, white fur looking impossibly soft in the late afternoon light. It did seem like you were very popular today indeed, you thought to yourself, before muttering a soft “Of course”.

Jess stood quickly, moving the large armchair closer to the bed, before resuming her seat next to you, this time not laying down though as she aided you in sitting up and placing the pillows behind your back in support.

An almost uncomfortable silence fell between the three of you, Jess wringing her hands in her lap as Toriel stared at the bed sheets as if in deep thought. The queen of Monsters had come to visit.

You coughed slightly, sitting up straighter and smiled at the large monster.

“How may I help you, your highness?” you asked, trying to be as polite as possible, feeling severely improper in your unicorn Pajamas that your father had entrusted to Jess, among several other pieces of clothing.

However as Toriel looked up at you, you could immediately tell she wasn’t here for pleasantries.

“I believe it would be best to talk privately, my child.” She said softly and as if Jess had taken the hint with a taser she bolted up from the bed, curtsied and dashed out of the room, the door falling shut with a soft thud.

Toriel looked back at you, soft, sad, tired and took a deep breath.

“I’m glad to see you are feeling better, child, the near loss of someone as special as you would have been a great blow to all of us.” She said softly, but quickly moved on as she saw how uncomfortable you looked.

“However I am unfortunate to say I did not come for a social visit, little one. There are matters of great importance we must discuss, and I hope you may be receptive to my pleas.”

You nodded without even thinking, the thought of refusing the gentle queen anything at all not even possible to you. The motion made some of the tension leave Toriels shoulders and she looked so much older suddenly you almost reached out for her.

“Since the…. Incident… MOM, or Monster Opposition Movement, has been more vocal and more destructive. They claim the shooting occurred as an attempt to quiet the Human Communication Party, as well as the Human Integration Project due to the fact that not a monster was targeted, but a human in the Monster District. The conflict has been quite alarming, my child. More and more MOM members and radicals are of the opinion a Monster was behind the shooting-“ she stopped for a breath, clutching her robe in her large paws. It seems those months have indeed not helped the ever-rising political tension at all.

“- Any information which would connect the bullet to a monster would bring about consequences we are not yet ready to handle. Our rights have just been obtained and magic and its use is still in a precarious position when it comes to possible human harm. Otherwise, my child I would not think to ask such a task of you… I would request that the information that the bullet was deviated by magic be kept to ourselves, Y/N.” she said, looking up to meet your eyes. You hated keeping secrets…

… But you hated seeing Monsters suffer even more.

“Of course your Majesty, I don’t want to endanger the Monster Community, nor the HIP. If there’s anything at all I can be of assistance with, I am more than happy to help. I might be of lower social status and not of much help, but I’ve been working for the embassy for some years now. I am more than happy to help where possible.” You rambled, feeling self-conscious but also relieved in watching more tension melt from the queens shoulders.

A silence settled in the room again, not uncomfortable but full of quiet contemplation. When Toriel spoke again, it was almost like an after thought, something she had finally decided to ask where before she hadn’t meant to.

“If it’s not too much a bother, I would appreciate your assistance in one more thing.” She said, your eyes meeting her warm ones, again nodding without a second thought.

“It would be of immense reassurance as well as advantage if an announcement could be made, by you, to the Human and Monster Media about your well being as well as the support given to you by both embassies working together. Troy has already been asked if this would be possible with him present, due to his promotion to head of HIP.” She stopped, watching your nervous gaze not meet her own, while you still nodded.

Something about being in a crowd, in front of people, didn’t sound as easy as it used to.

“I apologize, my child, you do not have to if you-“

“I’ll do it!” your voice was steady despite of the fear. “I- I mean, I-I’ll do it, your Majesty, but it would be better if I could stand easier. Maybe on the day of my release from the hospital?” you pushed through your nerves, locking eyes with hers.

She was smiling. A large smile. A relieved smile.

“You are very brave, my child, and a very kind soul. You face that which you fear for the sake of others, and that, little one, is virtuous. Thank you.” She said softly, before standing, patting your hand softly. Her fur was soft.

“I will send you an e-mail, as you humans call it, or a… text message? I’m not very well versed with human technology, but my child will undoubtedly help me. We shall be in contact, Miss Y/N. I hope you recover soon.” And with the flourish of her robe she left the hospital room.

Jess slinked in, a frown on her face as she saw you sitting, quiet and pale and looking so far away she was scared you’d fallen apathetic. Yet as you shook, Jess was quick to hug you tight.

Why were you feeling so lost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today. More plot, a little bit of Sans... whats going on there?


	7. A Bustling Ward

It had been a few days since the queen had visited, yet neither Sans nor Papyrus reached out to you. Considering their lack of replies to messages or calls, you assumed that the two skeletons were either unwilling to talk to you, you had done something to anger them or upset them. You had left a voicemail to Papyrus with an apology and a hope of him answering you, and Sans a long message asking for answers.

Yet you reminded yourself, you had only known them for a short time. If they no longer wanted to keep in contact with you, you would respect their wishes. Your chest hurt at the thought but you pushed it away in order to focus on the therapy. You could take a few steps now, walking slowly and usually with the help of crutches, yet the new found sense of freedom that being able to move out of the bed on your own gave you overshadowed most of the negative aspects of the last few days.

That is until news had come out that the Surviving Shooting Victim from the Human Embassy was located at this specific Hospital. Just yesterday a barrage of reporters had tried to gain entry to the hospital, quickly being blocked by the hospital staff and security having blocked any entrance of people, monster or human alike.

The nurse, noticing your far away thoughts, gave a short cough, his light blue scales glittering in the afternoon sun that filtered through the windows of the hall.

“You’re doing great Y/N.” he said, a kind smile as he moved along side you, your medication in his other hand. It seemed he was a new therapist to the ward, but his Gecko like appearance was so friendly it instantly put you at ease. “Just a few more steps and we can call it a day once you reach your room ok?” he confirmed, and you pushed on, a sigh of relief washing over you as your rooms door came into sight. Freedom or not, walking was taxing when muscles and tendons did not cooperate.

You had almost reached the door, the Monsters hand steadily on your arm as you felt yourself falter slightly, when a commotion on the other side of the hall caught your attention. You watch in abject interest as a tall man takes notice of you, eyes lingering on your face before shooting to the Monster aiding you, before he barges towards you.

“And you must be Y/N L/N, yes?” he stands tall in front of you, dark eyes and slicked back blonde hair giving him a stern impatient look.

“I-I am, yes, a-and-“

He interrupts you with a snort, looking you up and down in distaste “Of course you’d resort to monsters.” He sneered.

You frowned, looking down at your nightgown then back up at the still sneering man in front of you with a “E-excuse me?”

“So, tell me, L/N how much are they paying you to keep your mouth shut? Ten thousand? Twenty? How much are they paying you to betray your own race?” he spits out, hatred almost evident in his eyes, as the Gecko Monster steps closer to you, large wide hands moving to your waist to help you stand better as well as keeping you upright. You barely notice the Bat Nurse on the phone, with security you assume, as the man looks at you as if repulsed.

“Or maybe you’re not getting any money… You’re a monster fucker aren’t you? Is that why you won’t tell the truth, how they tried to kill you for speaking for humans?” he sneered again and you took a step back, the therapist following suit, but shaking in fear as the Man took two steps towards you. Didn’t Monsters dust if aimed at with that intent?

You squared your shoulder, mustering the courage to step in front of the poor Gecko monster, wide round eyes looking at you and you glared.

“Who are you to say such vile things, sir. I am going to ask you to leave this ward instantly!” you almost growled, the large hands on your waist giving you the support to stand on your own, even though you didn’t reach the mans chin.

He barked out a humorless laugh, before looking back at you with disdain.

“Of course an abomination like you would only get some from Monsters. Humans would never touch something like you, you Monster Fucker. Lose some weight, do something with that nose of yours, and maybe some human dude will get you laid. I-“

You hadn’t even seen the security rush in, both security men quick to grab the distracted man in front of you. You barely heard them arguing, dragging the fighting man backwards as he kept screaming at you, words of “Monster Slut” “Abomination” “Disgusting” and “Traitor” leaving his lips, eyes so full of hate you could almost see it like a fire in them.

The hand on your waist was trembling you realized, as you turned in the nurses hold. He looked so shaken, so sad, so afraid as he stuttered and apology which you were quick to interrupt.

“Oh sweety, no, I know you were afraid, and I’m so glad you didn’t intervene, he seemed… dangerous.” You said, your own adrenaline and fear making you shake and shiver and as soon as that courage was there it was gone, leaving you exhausted and confused and most of all… sad.

Both trembling, the little bat nurse rushed over, helping you into the wheelchair and sending the poor gecko therapist away on a break to calm down and relax. As she pushed the wheelchair towards your room you were just tired. How could people like this exist? How could they be so dark, so twisted, so non-empathetic or uncaring. You rubbed your eyes, surprised at feeling the tears that were still falling, while quietly nodding as the nurse asked about your wellbeing. You made a mental note to call Toriel after a bit to relax and let her know you would be doing the interview… maybe come up with a plan-

Your brain shut off as the door opened and you barely had time to process that Sans, still wearing a lab coat and a smear of something black on his cheek bone, rushed forward to envelop you in a hug and then just as quickly releasing you, a tint of blue on his cheekbones as he took a step forward. You stared, until the nurse behind you coughed slightly and handed you the green medication which you sheepishly took and drank. With a nod to Sans she left without a word, door clicking behind her as you slowly moved to the bed where you sat down with a soft sigh of relief.

Sans stood awkwardly against the wall, hand curled against his ribcage defensively and eyelight turned to you in an almost sheepish expression.

“What are you doing here, Sans, I thought you were ignoring me.” You couldn’t help but sound bitter and Sans cringed slightly before taking a step forward, before thinking twice and stopping again, his hand rubbing the back of his skull.

“Listen, kid, I’m sorry we’ve been avoiding you, just been having a lot on our minds and hands and we really didn’t know where to go from there, you know? It wasn’t anything you said or did, we just… needed to figure things out.” He murmured, eyelights shifting before settling back on you as you got yourself more comfortable on the bed. Your eyes burned from the previous tears.

“We?” you inquired gently, and Sans looked slightly nervous before shooting you a grin.

“Well, me and Papyrus of course.” He explained, adding “And some cousins…” almost too quietly. You didn’t push for more information.

The uncomfortable tension in the room deflated to just uncomfortable silence as you picked at the bed sheets, before looking back at him “So, what brings you here? You have a bone to pick with me?” you ask, letting the pun sit there for a second before Sans’ eyelights brightened considerably as if relieved and the tension faded away as if it had never been there to start with.

“Ah nah, thought you might need help, call it a gut feeling.” He teased, before approaching the bed and sitting next to you on the white sheets as you giggled, the silence less uncomfortable and more peaceful than before, before Sans spoke again, worry in his tone.

“What happened kid, what was… what was all that shouting about? Why- why are you crying Y/N?”

“Some racist bastard came in here, accusing me of monsters buying my silence about the shooting.” You growled, flopping down on the bed, head resting on his femur.

“Then he said I was sleeping with Monsters because no one else would want me, that I was a traitor to humans that I-“ when had you started to cry again? When did a sob pass your lips? “How can people like this exist, Sans? How can such vile exist in a world that has so much love to offer? Why do they always see me as inferior, as less worthy of love, just because I’m not their perfect ideal of a woman? Why do they despise anything they don’t perceive as the norm. What have we done to make them end up like this. What have monsters done to make people like him-“

Your rambling was cut off by teeth meeting your forehead gently, a weird feeling tugging at you, before relaxing against Sans side, confused and unsure but far from uncomfortable.

He pulled back, a deep chuckle escaping him as you seemed to deflate, before you turned a deep red and hiding your face in the sheets.

“Humans are out there that definitely should be judged by the hate in their SOULs, but they don’t define who you, or we, are. All they do is define themselves by it, and in turn they are judged accordingly. He will get his judgement one day, I can assure you of that.” His voice turned cold at the last part of the sentence, but you took his phalanges and gave them a squeeze, eyes turning to his with a grin, aching to change the topic.

“So… what do we do now?” you asked but quicklu laughed at the deep dark blue flushed across his cheekbones as he stared at your hand holding his, yet you felt him squeeze your hand in reassurance.

“Y/N, I- don’t get me wrong kid, I have a pretty thick skin (“Heh!”) but the way your mind was hurting you, the way you were spiraling and feeding that pain, the humiliation, the hurt, the hatred, the-“

“How do you know?” you asked sitting up, frowning at him, as he avoided your gaze.

“You sound like you’re hurting Y/N.” he stated quietly, looking back to meet your gaze, eye lights and expression so honest that you could tell he was more closed off usually. Your hand moved up to grab your chest at the painful twinge.

“I know you’ve only known me for such a short time, kiddo, and I hope you don’t think I’m rude, but… I think you’re beautiful Y/N.” he murmured, as he hugged you, and you let the tears finally flow freely. You couldn’t quite understand yourself why his words made such an impact on you, but the gentle tone behind them, the reassurance and the sheer honesty made something in you pull him closer to you and bury your face in his hoody. It was warm. He smelled like thunder in the evening.

It took a while for you to regain your composure, eyes burning at the tears that clung to your lashes, but eventually you pulled back, a wobbly yet genuine grin passing your lips as you eyed him.

“You know, for a sack of bones you sure do have a heart made of gold.” You stated, watching his gentle smile turn into one of mirth.

“I’d give it to you, but you’ve already stolen it.” He retorted, lazy wink and all and you laughed with a groan and a slight playful shove that in turn made him chuckle again.

“Saaaaaaaaans, that was so cheesy!” you giggled.

“What can I say? Gotta eat the calcium in it to keep these bones strong, kid.” You stared at him for a seconds, then play glared at him.

“Booooooo, that was bad!”

“And yet, you are still laughing.”

Fuck, he was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up being a 2 parter, since it was turning a bit too long for a single chapter. Hope to have the second (possibly shorter) part within the next few days.
> 
> I also want to thank all the lovely support and comments and kuddos. It means the world to me.


	8. Let's Plan Then

Sans stayed for a few hours just chatting and punning away, and although it could have felt weird to lay next to the taller skeleton, you couldn’t bring yourself to feel any uncomfort at all. He was just… so friendly… it striked you as odd, as you had only known him for so little, but he had such a casual air about him it was impossible to.

Maybe you were just Naïve.

The day was slowly coming to an end, the ward growing quieter. You couldn’t stop thinking about that man, about the news, about the blatant horrible people in this world and how exactly you could help while being in your position. Yes the queen had requested your aid, but you decided then and there, watching the sun set in the comfortable silence between you and the skeleton, that if you had to fight… you would. You turned to Sans, eyes glittering with intent.

“I think- I think I have a plan Sans.”

He shot you a confused look as you poked at the grilled chicken on your plate for dinner.

“A plan? For the chicken?” he asked, smile crooked in mirth.

You snorted slightly, pushing the food away from you and laying back against the pillow.

“No, you numbskull, for the uh… for what happened today… for what happened in general. For the interview… I want to nip this in the bud.” You murmured, just loud enough for him to hear, before sitting up straight again, turning towards the Skeleton, who was looking at you intrigued.

“So, just, listen me out ok?” you waited for his nod before sighing deep and just jumping into what was running through your mind.

“Ok, so, I don’t want to be insensitive, but if we’re going to face people like him-“ you shuddered “-then I don’t think Monsters will go far with trying to use sympathy, logic or morality. These people, they… they can’t be swayed unless it hits close to home…”

“Where are you going with this, kid?” he asked, curiosity apparent in the slight frown of the bone above his eyesockets. You shot him a smirk.

“Well… if they won’t be swayed by Monsters… maybe we need to start putting humans in the line of fire.”

“Are you ok, Kid? We’re not aggressive or even able or willing to hurt humans, you know.” He said, looking at you as if you were crazy.

“Yes, of course I know… which is why this plan would work I think. Rumors are always such a strong part of human life… we just need to -pair- that rumor with some well place confirmation.”

“I still-“ you held your hand up in order to quiet him.

“We need to make the public believe that Troy was about to announce a very big change to the Human and Monster embassy cooperation. Something like, oh I don’t know, the release of sensitive pictures of monster treatment, the trafficking of Monster kind in some countries… and how he would be applying for congress in order to represent monsters and hopefully open human politics to them.”

He looked at you, obviously still confused.

“And then we say the shot was aimed at Troy. Papyrus was trying to save Troy from the shot, I unfortunately got in the way and poor ol’ defenseless me, a chubby (HairColor) woman from a loving family, with loving friends and who volunteers at animal shelter and feed-the-poor, got mortally wounded and escaped by the skin of her teeth.” You made a swooning motion, back of your hand against your forehead as you fake fainted onto his lap.

He tapped his jaw-bone in thought, quiet and you took the time to finish the thought process.

“No Monster got hurt, but instead, Humans did, two humans, one who can be considered a poor innocent soul, and the other as a powerful cheerful hopeful politician looking for a better future. It would gain sympathy and support of those Humans still on the brink, to see violence affecting “one of their own” and the Anti-Monster party can’t use the use of magic against us in the process, since technically, no one used magic.” You concluded, and lay back onto the pillows as Sans fell into deep thought, before laying down next to you. The ward was even more quiet now, calm as the last rays of light fell on his smooth white bone, and you watched in awe at his shifting expressions, an urge to poke his cheek tickling the tips of your fingers.

Finally Sans lolled his head towards you lazily, one eye socket closed and the other eyelight sparkling so bright it almost took your breath away. Gorgeous.

“I might be a bonehead, kid, but for an apparent airhead, you have quite some brains under all that hair.”

He laughed at your fake scoff of anger, before grabbing your hand gently and pulling you into a warm hug. You flushed, both at the motion and at his praise, both a bit foreign not only due to his being a skeleton but also someone who you… might slowly actually be crushing on.

“So, Y/N, you mentioned I could help?” he asked, warm breath fanning over your shoulder before he pulled back.

“I need Papyrus to be there.” You said, plainly.

“That’s not a prob-“

“He’s been ignoring me.”

“Oh.”

You cringed, trying to pull away, but he held onto you hand sternly, pulling you closer to him.

“He’s not- Oh, kid – He’s not ignoring you at all. He’s been extremely busy, and I don’t think he really has gotten over his guilt. Coming to think of it, neither have I. We’ve watched over you for so many months, Y/N. We’ve heard all about you from Jess, we’ve talked to your parents, we’ve met coworkers and friends. Stars, I’m currently babysitting one of your plants. It is- it’s weird for us, Papyrus and I, to see so much of you, and I- We-“ you smiled at him, squeezing his phalanges reassuringly.

“That’s kinda creepy, dude.” You giggled and you could almost feel the tension rush out of him making him slump.

“I’m glad you’re OK, Y/N. You’re very dear to a lot of people.” He smiled, before sitting up almost unwantedly letting go of your hand. You grin at him with a giggle.

“Almost sound like you have a thing for me.” You laughed, but quickly turned serious at the bright blue on his cheekbones.

“Uh-, I g-gotta go kid. I’ll h-have a talk with Paps. I really have to g-get-“

“Sans, are you o-“

“Yeah kid, just, babysitting back home, gotta go.”

And within the blink of an eye he was gone, the smell of an evening storm surrounding the enclosed space.

What just happened?

Grabbing the dinner tray you quickly finished your dinner, nervously looking outside the window/

You waited until the sun had drowned in the horizon, the dinner tray taken by the Bat Nurse, before you sent a quick message to both Papyrus and Queen Toriels asking if they could come visit the next day. Toriel answered quickly, confirming she would be there shortly after lunch time, while Papyrus took a very long while to answer. You wring your hands in nervousness, uncomfortable about thinking that he was mad at you, and the sound of your phone vibrating startles you so much you have to scramble to not let the phone fall onto the linoleum floor in your haste to check.

\- HELLO Y/N, IT WOULD BE A PLEASURE TO BESTOW YOU WITH THE PRESENCE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I SHALL BE THERE AFTER I HAVE FED MY BROTHERS, SO EXPECT ME SHORTLY AFTER. GREATEST HUGS, PAPYRUS.

You giggled, a weight lifting off your chest you hadn’t even realized was there, as you typed a very quick answer of “Yay, can’t wait to see you big guy”

You fell back against the pillows, sleep finally coming to get you.

You sat at the small table, lunch having been finished not long ago (why did it always have to be chicken, you’d kill for some burritos right about now) and were looking at the door nervously. Although excited to see Papyrus, you were, admittedly, nervous about the whole plan you wanted to discuss with them. What if it backfired, what if it went wrong, what if you messed up, what if-

A knock on the door pulled you from your thoughts quickly, eyes locking with the door, a trembled “Come In” leaving your lips.

Yet the moment the door opened and you saw Papyrus, who seemed to perk up just as much as you did, all fear and nervousness dissipated. You rushed to stand, momentarily forgetting your current mobility restrictions, but you didn’t have to worry at all as with two long strides Papyrus was picking you up effortlessly into a hug so tight you thought your lungs would collapse. You didn’t care though, your friend was here.

After a few comfortable minutes, you pulled back, looking over his shoulder to wave shyly at the Queen standing behind him with an affectionate smile.

Papyrus set you down gently on the bed, taking a seat at the foot of it while the queen sat on the armchair facing you. While Toriel looked rested, Papyrus did not. He had eye bags under his sockets, a darkening of the bone there that didn’t sit right with you, and was that… did he have a band-aid on? And was that a slight fissure on his mandible? You were quick to get sidetracked as his loud cheerful voice pulled you from your thoughts, while Toriel got herself comfortable.

“I’M SO SORRY MY DEAR HUMAN FRIEND, SANS INFORMED ME THAT I UPSET YOU BY NOT REACHING OUT TO YOU, I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING SUCH AN INCONSIDERATE-“

You held your hand up, stopping him in his tracks.

“Forgiven and Forgotten. You’re my friend Papyrus. And I know you didn’t mean to.”

Papyrus visibly relaxed, smile on his teeth actually growing genuine as he regarded you with something almost akin to wonder.

“A kind soul indeed.” Toriel spoke, breaking the silence which you didn’t notice had settled.

You coughed awkwardly, turning to Toriel with a more serene expression.

“I’m sorry for the short notice Your Highness. But-“

“Toriel, my child.”

“… Toriel, but I’m unsure if you heard what happened yesterday?”

Toriel gave a curt nod, and looking over at Papyrus you saw him uncharacteristically silent and serious. You hated that look on him.

“Well, after the man left, Sans came to visit and I spent a lot of time thinking and- I want to do more than just keep information from the media. I want to pull the sympathy of those on the fence to our side.” You said, mustering up the courage to launch into the explanation.

“I’m listening, my child.” She said, curiosity in her gaze.

And so you did, explained the plan, what needed to be done, that Troy would have to be informed and how to proceed after. How a few well placed words on Facebook and social media would get the rumor mill worked up, how maybe finding a less known reporter could be advantageous to write a smaller article.

How it would be best to do it all soon, being released “earlier” from the hospital due to safety concerns of humans coming to attack you. How you wanted Papyrus to stand next to you, holding you up as if you were still severely wounded…

You would play the damsel in distress, and Papyrus… Papyrus would be your hero.

You hated lying, pretending and you were scared for what could happen next.

But you hated those fuckers that would attack, belittle and even kill innocent monsters more.

You fell silent, watching Toriel mull it over, Papyrus being unusually quiet next to you, before he spoke up, voice dropping in a way that made your chest clench. He looked… so troubled.

“I Agree, Human N/A, I Might Not Be The Brightest But It Does Sound Like It Could Work.” And you took his hand, squeezing his phalanges gently.

“I don’t know who said that you weren’t the brightest, but to me you seem to be the smartest skeleton, hell, the smartest being I’ve ever met. And you got me to walk!” you said, kicking your legs out so he could see.

He turned a bright shade of orange, but his smile turned bright again, and stars, your chest felt so tight and light at the same time.

“YES OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SINGLE-HANDEDLY HELPED YOU OVERCOME YOU LAZINESS AND YOU CAN NOW WALK BECAUSE ME! NYEHEHE!”

He stood, striking a pose, and both Toriel and you chuckled lightly. The fond smile on the queens face making you feel as if you were doing the right thing.

“What about you, Your Ma- uh, Toriel, do you think the plan could work?” you asked, and the tense feeling returned, but significantly lighter than before. Toriel looked at Papyrus, requesting a glass of water if possible, which he took as his task to go and get, energetic, tall, happier.

You both wait for the door to close, before Toriel takes your hand into her furry paw, you marveling at the incredible softness again, before looking into her soft eyes.

“My child, I know this is coming from a place of good intentions, and I am so glad to have someone like you on our side, but are you sure you want to do this?”

You nodded, confused, intent on wanting to make Monsters lives easier. Better.

“And how do you feel, Y/N?” she asked and for once, you stopped. You stopped and looked inward and trying to analyze what exactly it was you felt.

“I-“ you cleared your throat before looking up again “I feel angry, Yo- Toriel. I feel so angry and such rage at how some humans can do this to innocent people, innocent monsters. I feel sad and lost, like I’ve been living all this time, not paying all that much attention to what was going on around me and it’s left me angry, confused, sad… and… I’m scared Toriel. I don’t want to get hurt again, I don’t want to be in front, middle or anywhere near lots of people. But I don’t want that fear to keep me from doing right by you, Toriel.”

The soft look on her face turned heavy-hearted, giving your hand a squeeze as she leaned back.

“My child, sometimes the harder the ordeal the more amazing the future we find. You might have almost died, and monsters have suffered enough to dust, but you did not and neither did we. And you now have a remarkable chance to live your life safe and happy. I do not like to put you in danger, yet I know that I must do so in the name of all Monster folk. Insinuations and accusations have been made since the shooting and tensions have risen between us. By doing as you suggest, it could bring more unwanted attention to you, your family, your friends, but it would definitely pave the way for a better future for us Monsters. Are you a hundred percent sure you want to go through with this, little one.”

The “Yes” was so final that Toriel startled slightly, before give you a warm smile.

“Why, Y/N?”

“Because fuck those guys, that’s why!” you slapped a hand in front of your lips, shocked at the words that tumbled out, flushing in embarrassment.

There was a short moment of silence before Toriel gave a hearty laugh that made you feel less embarrassed.

“WHAT DID THE GREAT PAPYRUS MISS?”

That sent Toriel and you into another round of laughter, full a bright and so friendly you felt like a weight had been, once again lifted.

You did not notice how the night gown rose around you thigh at the laughter, nor the saddened look Papyrus wore as he glimpsed the words scarred onto your skin.

After calming down slightly, Toriel stood with a smile, looking down at your flushed face with a grin.

“Thank you Y/N, for everything you are about to do for us. I will get everything set in motion, my child. I must leave now and make arrangements. I hope you make a swift recovery. Papyrus?” She stopped and looked at him, before you grabbed his wrist bones gently.

“Could I just have a quick talk with Papyrus before you both leave?” you requested, and you marveled again at the soft knowing gentle smile gracing the queens features.

“Of course little one. Papyrus, I shall wait in the park for you. I shall reach out to you later Y/N.” she with that she was out of the room, leaving you with Papyrus that occupied the chair Toriel sat at before.

“WHA-“

“What’s going on Paps, are you OK and what’s wrong?”

He started, looking up at your stern voice before sighing and looking at his shorts covered knee caps.

“Nyeh, Nothing Is Wr-“

“Cut the crap, Paps. What. Is. Wrong.”

He sighed, defeated, then yawned.

“Y/N, I Have To Admit I Am Quite Exhausted Lately. My Brothers, Uh, B-Brother, Has Been Making Constructions Around The House, And I Have Been Helping Him With His Project. He’s Doing It For Our Protection But It Is Quite Tiresome, Human, Even For One As Great As Me.” He shot you a smile, yet you couldn’t shake the thought that something was going on other than what he was letting on.

“Constructions? Isn’t that a bit dangerous for the children?”

“CH-CHILDREN? THERE ARE NO CHILDREN TO BE HARMED, HUMAN.”

“I was under the impression he was babysitting children and also had some cousins over?”

“A-AH, Y-YES, TH-THE CHILDREN, OF COURSE, YES, THEY ARE FINE!” an orange drop of sweat seemed to form on his skull, increasingly nervous it seemed.

“Are you… are you lying Papyrus?”

He stood rapidly, nervous energy just radiating off of him, before he looked at his wrist.

“AH, HUMAN Y/N I M-MUST TAKE MY LEAVE, THE Q-QUEEN, YES, SHE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE G-GREAT PAPYRUS TO RETURN. GET WELL SOON, HUMAN!”

There was no watch on his wrist, you noted. As he dashed out of the room in a speed only paralleled by racers you were sure.

You laid down, confused and lost and happy and hurt and a myriad of feelings you couldn’t quite place.

It was only a couple hours later when a soft chime from your phone caught your attention.

A message, from Sans?

-Hey Kid. I think we need to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter so soon? Woha! Don't get used to it XD  
> And did I say this one would be shorter? Whoops!  
> Things are finally starting to happen! Yay!  
> Chapter 9: Sticks And Stones  
> Chapter 10: Confessions  
> Chapter 11: Revelations  
> Chapter 12: Wrapped in Forgiveness  
> Chpater 13 Onwards: TBA


	9. Sticks and Stones

You look at Dr. Cemid, fiddling with the bottles of green magic that he had given you, along with the instructions. It had been a few days after Toriels visit, and already you could hear the rumors that her and Sans as well as Jess had posted, both on online forums and, most of all, Bacefook, that corruption center of social media where no one checked facts and everyone spread the tiniest theory around as truth. While you hated the platform, in times like these, it sure did come in handy.

“So… I can go home?”

Dr. Cemid smiles at you, his eye crinkling at the corners at your hopeful tone, and he nodded, green hair flopping back and forth.

“Yes, indeed Miss (L/N). As already explained, you need to take the green powder with some hot water twice a day for another two weeks and once a day for two weeks after, but your recovery, while helped by the magic, was quite speedy. No doubt, a fighter at heart.” He smiled, and you grinned up at him, giddy, excited and oh, so nervous.

That meant, you would have to hold the interview soon.

“Of course, we would like to keep you in until tomorrow, as I am aware this is a bit short notice, but you are going to be officially released from the hospital tomorrow.” He said while handing you the paper with the home exercises to do in order to continue your therapy.

“Thank you, Doctor, I-“

He waved his long fingers dismissively.

“Not at all, Miss (Y/N), we were happy to observe your recovery as well as learn from it. Healing magic in this form has not been used all to often for issues such as this, so it was a pleasure to have you with us. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He bowed and left with a gentle smile, leaving you to your thoughts as you fumbled with your phone. The last message you had received was Sans’ confirmation that you’d have a talk after your interview, since, as he put it “An info dump might be in order, to get all the skeletons out of the closet” to which you had snorted but also been worried. More information? More things that would change your world? You were growing apathetic to the ever changing flow of your current life.

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you called Toriel quickly, requesting her to set up the interview for tomorrow as you’d be released before noon, to which she agreed, while sending Papyrus a quick message asking him to be there tomorrow morning. You smiled at the last message from him, a video message of him proudly showing off the herb garden he had been babbling about a lot, behind the house he lived with Sans and his, cousins, you guess?

Sighing, you also sent a message to Jess, who had been so busy at work that she had only fleetingly visited you the day before, before rushing out again after a meager half an hour, mumbling about those damned kids and their damned fingers and the damned flytraps.

You sighed again, kicking of the slippers and laying down, enjoying the warmth and the soft smell of the jasmine flowers. Freedom could not come soon enough, as you slipped into a restless dream filled with green threads and black slime.

“ARE YOU READY TO GO, HUMAN? I SHALL ASSIST YOU, AND I WILL TAKE THE JOB OF YOUR PROTECTOR AS SERIOUSLY AS I HAVE TAKEN THAT OF ROYAL GUARD! WE MUST NOT KEEP THOSE HUMANS OUTSIDE WAITING FOR LONG, AND –“

You felt bad tuning Papyrus’ rambling out, yet your nervousness was immense. You straightened your black button up shirt slightly, the dark color good at hiding the extra curves your body was slowly building again as well as making you feel confident in looking professional. The gray pleated skirt gave it an innocent yet still professional look. Appearances played too big a role in the human world, you thought.

“-AND THE BASIL HAS THESE WEIRD DOTS THAT I-“

“Yes, yes, Miss (L/N), yes? I think they’re ready for you. Yes, Miss, Yes.” The little bat nurse said quietly from the door. You felt guilty… you still didn’t know her name.

Papyrus stooped down slightly, offering you his hand in aid as you walked to the wheelchair in the corner. Yes, you could walk, but what better way to make you look vulnerable than to pretend you were still weak? Or, well, weaker.

Your nervousness built as Papyrus rolled you out, the hospital strangely quiet around you until you noticed that, indeed, it wasn’t quiet, but your anxiety was building, making a faint low hum block out sounds.

“Breathe, Y/N, I’m Here, The Great Papyrus Has Got You.” You shuddered as his breath fanned your cheek as he stooped to almost-whisper to you, and yet you felt yourself grounded as you lay a hand on his phalanges which were pushing the chair. You could do this, you knew it… you had to.

The closer you got to the door, the more nervous you became, but the more you felt driven to pull through with this. It would help them, you told yourself, and thus you’d be brave, for them.

You ignored the occasional flash of colored strings in the air, knowing that right now, you had to concentrate on this task.

What you weren’t ready for was to be blinded by flashing lights and deafened by the crowd gathered at the front of the visitor entrance to the hospital. You shielded your eyes, trying to calm your panicked breathing, almost not noticing how Papyrus lay a steadying hand on your shoulder, until you locked eyes with the queen herself, surrounded by both human and monster guards.

Alright, here we go, you thought as you nodded to Papyrus who gave you a reassuring smile. You didn’t see Sans anywhere.

He helped you stand, you leaning exaggeratedly on him, taking a few wobbly steps towards, the reporters, who renewed the flashing on their cameras, questions being shouted left and right.

“Who did it?”

“Are the rumors true?”

“Did that monster hurt you with h-“

“Would you be willi-“

“Any comments on-“

You coughed, and the barrage of questions stopped, following by a slight silence interrupted by the clicking of the cameras, and the microphones being held close to you clacking against each other occasionally.

“H-hello, uhm, hi I’m (Y/N) (L/N), uh-“ you stuttered and felt yourself sweat at the sheer amount of focus laid on you. Leaning heavily on Papyrus, no longer really pretending to have weak knees, he gave your waist a slight reassuring squeeze and you took a deep breath.

“I was shot, f-five m-months ago… or more. I cannot remember what happened after my shooting, I cannot remember while I was in a coma. But I temporarily d-died.” Your voice wobbled slightly, but you swallowed and pressed on.

“Many things have c-changed since then of which I am not aware, but I a-am aware of what took place before I got wounded. And I know the shot was not meant to hit me, as I was not in it’s path. However Troy Lavanche, a personal f-friend of mine, and at that point in time, my Manager with aspiration for more for all of us, for peace, friendship and acceptance, who was shortly after promoted to the Human Integration Plan Project, was. He had recently wanted to move forward with the HIPP, before the s-shooting, and he was so hopeful to move further, to make waves that would make a difference for Monsters and Humans alike. He had evidence of some horrible deeds. And he… he was the target. Not m-me, b-but my dear Friend Troy, who now fears for his families well being and safety.” You took a breath, eyes roaming the crowd in front of you.

“I-“ you forced your voice to tremble “I r-remember th-… the sound of the gun ringing from the left of me. I-… I remember turning to see where the sound came from, the lady behind me pushing me f-forwards as my dear friend Troy was pushed behind Papyrus who’s job was to protect him… the bullet coming straight at me from across the room… I just got unlucky, the wrong place the wrong time… and it… it h-hurt… so m-much.” You no longer needed to fake your words, the pain, the anger, the sadness that enveloped you. Papyrus, squeezed you again, hugging you gently as you looked at him with teary eyes.

“We’ve built a close Friendship, Papyrus and I. Him and his brother have been by my side almost day and night, and I’m grateful to Dr. Cemid and the queen for all the help I’ve been given, both emotional and financial. I almost died because of a specieist radical and my father, my friends –“ the tears fell, unable to keep them reigned in “–they talked about pulling the plug. I wouldn’t b-be here now if not for these kind people, kind monsters, that kept their hope alive. That kept me alive. I got hurt by someone terrible, and Mr. Lavanche fears daily that someone will attack him, simply for wanting peace. Why stand divided when we can be so much greater when we work together? I, like Mr. Lavanche, like Papyrus, dream of a day where we can be who we are, in peace and in freedom. Thank you.”

The instant barrage of questions took you aback, the tears still clinging to your cheeks.

“Are you and Papyrus in a relationship?”

The question made the tall skeleton fluster and an adorable orange flush rise to his skull as he stumbled over his answer.

“I- N-NO, THE K-KIND (Y/N) AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS ARE NOT DATE-MATES… B-But I Would Not Oppose It.”

You looked at him surprised at the addition, your own blush battling for your cheeks, before you addressed the reporters again.

“Indeed, we are just really good friends but, so what if we were? What is the problem with that? Isn’t love just that, love? Doesn’t love belong to anyone who understands and feels it?” you replied, and saw a bunch of the humans in front of you writing on their pads.

“Where is Papyrus’ brother?” a female reporter questioned.

“HE IS AT HOME, TAKING CARE OF OUR FAMILY”

“Will the identity of the shooter be disclosed?”

“I do not have this information and would refer you to the Ebott PD.” You replied, the queen giving you a nod.

“Ms. (L/N), have you fully recovered and are you being discharged?”

“No, my recovery is still a rather slow process. I am being discharged as I have been deemed physically able to live with a caretaker for the next month, but I am still af-afraid o-of those w-who hate difference so m-much they-d be willing to kill f-for it.” You stutter slightly, maybe a bit exaggeratedly… and tired.

Stars, you were tired.

Some other reporter asked another question, but you didn’t bother answering, as suddenly, and with a wave of silence falling over the reporters, a large stone was throws, hard, straight at you, hitting your forehead with an audible sound that made your head reverberate, stumbling backward slightly, grateful for Papyrus holding onto you, hand reaching up to steady your head.

You barely noticed that crowd breaking out into a flurry of movement, as a single man, that man, the same man that harassed you just a couple of days ago stood to the side, screaming “You dirty Monster fucker, human traitor!” as he fought against the security, arms flailing against them as another two people, both still holding their stones, were equally dragged out, spewing profanity and hatred and so much rage you were stunned by it. Your head throbbed. You ears were ringing, and something wet was trickling down your forehead and into your eyes. When you removed your hand, it came back, wet with blood and dirt from there the rock had hit. You didn’t register the pain, you didn’t register the panic, you didn’t register Papyrus concern… you registered the anger though, as you rushed forward, eyes blazing.

“Is this what you want?” you cried out, anger, pain, frustration and tiredness leaking into your words.

“Is THIS who we are, collectively, as a human species? So scared of that which we do not fully understand the only answer we have is to hurt it? Since Monsters have returned they have done nothing but help and be kind. The least we could do is to show them the same respect.” You wipe some blood off of your forehead, holding your hand splayed out in front of you, palm facing the reporters and journalists, blood smeared all over your palm as you shook, in anger and in pain.

“This- This blood, this pain is on you. You who shout and hate and sneer, whose heart lacks the love and compassion we owe to others. And I renounce you for who and what you are!”

Doctors crowded you, pushing you into the wheelchair as the reporters took pictures, flashes, lights, question and yelling heard, but you only heard a faint buzzing in your head, anger burning so bright in your chest you thought you’d ignite on the spot, as Papyrus walked stiffly next to you, a phone to his ear as he talked to someone on the other side. You didn’t care who it was, but seeing that look of mirrored anger, and worry and sadness when his eyelight met your eyes… you felt the anger dissipate, the adrenaline rush out and you felt… tired… so tired.

A nurse tended to your wound in the adjacent room, dabbing some Betadine on the new stitches, seven stitches right above your eyebrow, as the doctor talked to Papyrus firmly. Papyrus would occasionally look over at you, give you a strained smile, before paying attention to what the doctor was saying, before leaving the room to make another call. The nurse was talking to you now, but you weren’t paying attention, mind wrapped in all the happenings from today, from this month, this lifetime. You caught the understanding smile he gave you, aware you probably weren’t paying attention and you gave your own smile back as he stood with a pat on the shoulder.

Papyrus returned, moving your wheelchair in a rush towards the back entrance, a car with tinted windows waiting for the both of you as he moved stiffly, awkwardly, as if he didn’t know whether to go into the care of take a turn. There was still a commotion outside, but you couldn’t see it from the back door, and the sounds of the security, reporters and other people drowned out completely as Papyrus closed the door of the car after he had put you in the back.

You sit, the silence of the car deafening, and Papyrus reaches out to take your hand, worried face on you, a gentle squeeze an indication of his support.

And just like that… you break. There’s nothing held back, the pain, the fear, the anger, the relief, the sheer amount of emotions washing over you make you crumble with their weight, Papyrus quick to envelop you in a hug so encompassing you feel almost restricted but in a safe way. It ties you down to earth, and that alone makes you cry and sob harder at the sheer _injustice_ of it all.

It took you a moment to realize you were babbling, as you hear yourself speak nonsense.

“I died … I died and had nothing. I was so scared, I… I left my dad- I left Jess- I- I don’t even have kids! Not even a cat!”

“If You Want A Feline I Can Get You One, Small Human.” Papyrus says, obviously confused as to why that was such a big problem, and the sheer ridiculousness of that single sentence broke your tears for a laughter that bubbled through the sorrow.

“Not Funny, Human.” Papyrus huffs, annoyed at your laughter but also with a smile as he hugs you tight.

The rest of the ride, is quiet, your hiccups slowing down, still encased in Papyrus arms, like a barrier against the world. You feel safe, there.

Safe with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a lot of monologue... Sorry for that...   
> And I feel so bad for reader... 
> 
> Upcoming  
> Chapter 10: Confessions  
> Chapter 11: Revelations  
> Chapter 12: Wrapped in Forgiveness  
> Chpater 13 Onwards: TBA


	10. Part 1. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The talk :O This is the first part of a three part content chapter.  
> Part 1. Confessions  
> Part 2. Revelations  
> Part 3. Wrapped in Forgiveness

It had only taken a few minutes to get to your apartment, Jess already waiting in front of the door for you. She’d decided to move in temporarily while you got better, a constant air of worry about her that made you feel guilty for it. It seemed that Papyrus had texted ahead about the incident, and given her instructions on how to look and treat for concussions, just in case.

Settling into life back at the apartment, Jess fussing about and your neighbors coming to visit occasionally to welcome you back, made the first two days pass quick yet filled with people. Co-workers showed up, old friends you hadn’t seen in a while and you received several calls from people who had seen you on TV. It felt surreal to have your face, blood blurred in order to keep it family friendly, blasted on the news, papers and social media and you tried so hard to ignore the constant pinging of Bacefook and other social sites. You decided you didn’t want this, currently, and would deal with it later.

Troy had also called, asking about your wellbeing, informing you’d be off work for another month, all expenses paid, to which you thanked him then congratulated him on his promotion. His chuckled “You’ll be climbing the ranks and the politics life soon too, (Y/N)” left you not only flustered, confused, but also wary. You did not particularly want to go into politics and were happy with your current job and position. You’d cross that bridge when you got there.

And then Sans… Sans had called the day after you got back home, asking if he could come by with a cousin of his, to “talk”, as he stated. He left it so vague that you were worried you’d done something wrong, even as you agreed for them to come by.

Which led to you, today, standing at the door, a very tired looking Sans leaning against the doorframe as a slightly shorter skeleton, yet still slightly taller than you, stared at you with Stars in his eye sockets. And you didn’t mean it, in that cliché ‘oh the excitement’ kind of way, no, his eyelights were actual stars as he looked at you.

“Uh… hi?” you said eloquently, as the shorter skeleton quickly took your hand in a very light, very gentle shake which weirdly did not match his bouncy, energized visage at all.

“Hey, kiddo, how you doing? Feeling better?” Sans mumbled pushing off the frame, hands in his pocket as he looked you over. His eyelights hung on the bandaid on your forehead, browbones creasing in a frown as he mumbled “Fuckers.” under his breath.

You looked back at the still hand shaking other skeleton and nodded, as you stepped aside to let them enter.

“Yeah, feels good to be home, relax on my own bed, water my own plants, deal with Jess’ annoying voice-“

You both giggled at the indignant “Hey!” that resounded from the kitchen, while the two skeletons entered the small living room.

“Good, good. So, this here is my, uh, my cousin Blueberry. He’s new around these parts, so not too familiar with the area, even if I know it like the back of my Phalanges.” He introduced, a groan escaping the shorter skeleton even as his eyelights, which you noticed were light blue and back to dots, stuck out his hand again.

“YES! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SA- BLUEBERRY, YOU CAN CALL ME THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE HOWEVER! IT’S SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, HUMAN (Y/N)- UH I MEAN, MEET YOU AGAIN, I MEAN-” taking pity on the flustered skeleton you shook his hand, a bit more confidently this time around, with a smile.

“Thank you Blue, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well. How are you liking the Ebott suburbs?” you asked, cordially, releasing the hand which you now noticed where covered in gloves. He shot you a beaming smile, which you couldn’t help but return as you gestured towards the couch.

As they took the couch, Jess came barging in, drying her hands from where she probably had been washing dishes, a giant grin on her face.

“Sans!” she squealed, throwing the towel behind her as she rushed the skeleton for a hug.

He chuckled, squeezing her then ruffled her hair as she stepped back. You watched with an affectionate smile, as they made quick small talk and you sat down next to Blue. He kept looking at you, sending weird looks you couldn’t decipher, a mixture between sorrow and nostalgia.

You jumped startled, as Sans pulled a chair closer to the couch, Jess having retreated to your bedroom to do stars-knows what. Sans settled in the chair facing you, and it finally dawned on you how incredibly tired he looked. He slumped more, deep circles under his sockets and he seemed to be ready to fall asleep where he sat.

“Have you been sleeping at all, Sans?” you asked quietly, and he opened one of his sockets tiredly before sitting up.

“HE’S BARELY SLEPT SINCE WE ARRIVED. PAPYRUS KEEPS TRYING TO GET HIM TO REST AND EVEN MY AMAZING SINGING HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO LULL HIM INTO SLUMBER, HUMAN.” Blue piped up beside you, making Sans let out an amused yet tired snort.

“I will get some rest soon, kid, don’t you worry about lil’ ol’ me. We just need to have a chat with you to try an’ figure some things out.” He let himself slump back again, running his phalanges over his skull.

“You want something to drink, before we have this chat?” you ask, more to calm your nerves than to actually be polite, yet settle back into the couch at Blues and Sans shake of the head.

“No real point in beating around the skull, (Y/N), have you ever researched into souls?” Straight to the point, huh.

“Well, the typical things the Human embassy knows about. Traits, vulnerabilities, how they are the culmination of Monsters, how they determine your appearance, etc… Is something wrong with my soul?” you quickly add the question, watching both Blue and Sans frown slightly at the question.

“We’re trying to figure out what’s going on, and unfortunately, it seems that your near-death experience has something to do with the current happenings.” He mumbled, a little “Oh.” escaping your lips but leaving you confused.

“WOULD YOU ALLOW US TO PULL YOUR SOUL OUT, TO INSPECT FOR ANY ANOMALIES, HUMAN (Y/N)?”

You frowned, hand quick to move up to cradle your chest protectively. You weren’t sure why, but something, very deep within you, said that it would not be a good idea to do so. Sans took notice, leaning forward again.

“Look, kid, I won’t say it won’t be uncomfortable, but something really weird is, in fact, going on, and you are involved-“ he nodded at Blue who removed the armor he wore, working on rolling up his sleeve “-and maybe this will prove it. May I?” he asked, holding out his hand for yours.

You took it, nodding in confusion, eyes darting from Blue to Sans, as the later started to move your own sleeve up.

Blues gentle gasp from beside you made you wince, as the scarred words ‘Oh god, oh god, I’m so sorry!’ were revealed, sleeve bunched up on your bicep, the words raised slightly. Blue leaned closer, then put his own forearm into your line of sight.

You gasped. There, across his Radius, in the same font, size and spacing ‘Oh god, oh god, I’m so sorry!’ was carved, tinted grey, into the bone. It looked painful, it looked out of place on the bone, it looked fascinating.

“What-“

“DID YOU LIVE IN THE FIELDS, AT THE BASE OF MOUNT EBOTT AS A CHILD, (Y/N)?” Blue jumped in.

“I mean, yes, for a few years but-“

“Have you ever heard of Alternate Universes? Separate Dimensions? Splitting Timelines?” Sans interjected, sounding so exhausted you felt a pang of sympathetic guilt.

You frowned, confusion building, as you looked between the two skeletons.

“I’ve never actively contemplated the theory, but I have heard of it, I know the simple gist of the theory. Why?” Sans ignored your question, pulling out a few sheets of paper out of his hoodie, obvious receipts and trash, then grabbed your wired earphones off of the table.

“You see, Alternate Universes are basically all the same at the core of them. They can also be called Parallel Universes, since the Timeline and the happenings occur simultaneously, yet at different times, without a direct connection to one another, save for base principles. These principles all base themselves on the simple idea of existence, so if something exists, in short, it exists in a specified Universe.” He stopped to look at your confused face, before chuckling and taking the previously mentioned papers.

“This is our Universe-“ he set a DocManalds receipt on your still outstretched hand, a smudge of ketchup in the corner, then took two other papers and held them on top and below your hand with the paper in it “-and these are parallel universes. They don’t touch each other, there’s no direct connection between them. Yet they are correlated by being made out of paper.” He sat back, setting the papers on the table.

“It’s of course, a lot more intricate and difficult than that, between time and space, continuity and relativity in relation to the lack of more four dimensional movement, which goes beyond abscissa and ordinate, and of course that the Void and the constituent planes in between each-“ he stopped again, laughing outright at your absolutely confused face.

“Sorry, kid, let me try to use laymen terms.” You found him to be very cute when passionate about the subject at hand, even if you couldn’t understand a word of it.

“There’s more to it than just, there being several universes. It means, kid, there are a multitude of universes out there, both completely separate from ours and others that derive from ours. The ones that derive from the ‘main’ universe are called timelines. These are usually when the current universe has proposed two different paths, and each choice made leads to a new path. If the choice is fundamental, making the outcome substantial, it then creates a new parallel universe which runs adjacent to the one it diverted from, while ones where the choice did not make a substantial impact collapses into the established path.”

You nod, following his logic.

“NORMALLY THERE’S NO DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE UNIVERSES, THEY ARE SEPERATED BY EVERYTHING. WE OCCASIONALLY CALL IT THE VOID, WHICH IS BOTH TIME, SPACE, EXISTANCE AND NON-EXISTANCE-“

“-but that also is a pocket, and above that, containing all, we could call it the Hyperreality, but this is besides the point. The point is that Alternate Universes, or Multiverse if you wish, are very real.”

You shifted, looking at the words on your arm, Blue having retreated his own arm to his side as they both watched you.

Ok, so this was a lot to take in. And this was very weird and your brain did struggle with comprehending what Sans had said, and part of you refused to believe him. I mean, you haven’t known him for that long, and maybe he was crazy? Maybe he really thought this theory would help you some way… was this faked? What would they have to gain from it… and what in all seven hells did any of that have to do with your almost-death and the stupid scars you had. You squeezed your forehead, trying to thwart the upcoming headache, as you looked back at Sans.

“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me. How is that connected to this?” you gestured to the scars and leaned back into the couch.

“Well, (Y/N), Blue here does, in fact, come from a parallel universe, and please, don’t ask how, we’re still trying to figure out that part.” He started playing with your headphones between his phalanges.

“Still doesn’t explain what any of this has to do with me?”

There was silence, long and tense, and you looked from Blue to Sans and then back to Blue, where you finally noticed how miserable he looked. He was fidgeting, Eyelights downcast and light blue beads of sweat had manifested themselves on his skull.

“Blue?” Sans pressed and the blue eyelights finally moved up to meet yours, a look of such sorrow in them you could hardly keep yourself from hugging the sweet berry.

“I Killed You When You Were Ten.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the slow reveal of what the heck is going on with reader.  
> Poor blue is so OOC... my poor baby TT.TT


	11. Part 2. Revelations

Chara had done it. Chara, had, in fact done it. Sans stood at the edge of the mountain, staring at the open sky and the tops of the trees all around, eyelights wide. His brother, Papyrus, stood next to him, cigarette forgotten, one hand on Sans’ shoulder.

“That’s The Sky, Paps. Look! It’s So Big!” he observed, sparing a quick glance at his brother. The orange hoodie looked so bright in the sunlight, the green of the trees so vivid and the blue of the sky so brilliant.

“Indeed it is, bro. Indeed it is.”

\----

The king had asked the small pocket of Monsters to remain at the base of the mountain, making sure that they weren’t spotted by humans. He had explained how important it was, to approach this cautiously with a level mind due to the harsh reality that humans, well, as Papyrus put it, humans sucked.

So, the king had taken off, a handful of monsters from the Royal Guard accompanying him, alongside Alphys.

Meanwhile, Sans was only too happy setting up tents and temporary shelter for the monsters, while many of them went back and forth retrieving their possessions from the mountain. It was amazing to witness, child monsters running around the trees and fields, exploring the camp site surrounding and amazingly, the already obvious physical aspects and changes of them. It wasn’t much, but some monsters grew slightly larger, slightly taller, slightly wider, as a response to their new-found freedom.

Papyrus, in the meantime, was being his usual lazy self, Sans scoffed. It was obvious he only sat at the outskirts of the small forest or entrance to the campsite in order to get sleep, while Sans worked tirelessly to help move everyone from the mountain to the small campsite.

His lazy brother, of course, didn’t do anything he said, always asleep at the edge.

It was just a few days later, everything seeming to finally have been moved to the surface, when Sans decided that, as his brother was absent, again, he would look for adventure! Of course, adventure! He had to show the world, he was a HERO! He’d meet the humans, wow them away with his charm and elegance and they would HAVE to open their arms and souls and accept the Monsters for being even a fraction as Magnificent as he.

With a renewed sense of purpose, the blue clad skeleton quickly approached the edge of the forest that led to a big open field. It sprawled in the sun, a cacophony of gentle colors edged by a wide field of golden plants… wheat, if Sans remembered correctly from the book he had once read about the origin of Bread. He stopped momentarily, looking behind the shoulder pads of his battle body, before taking a step into the sun and out of the protective shadows of the forest.

The excitement was hard for him to contain, and within short minutes he was running around the field, giddy and brimming with energy and oh, look, what was that plant? Was that a bunny? What is this white fluff on the green stem? Ha! It floats away when you blow on it!

Just as he was starting to slow down he took notice of a single house in the middle of the field of wheat. He took one look back at the mountain and the edge of the dark green forest, before puffing out his chest, and confidently striding towards the lone building surrounded by golden brown plants.

As he approached, he noted how downtrodden the little house looked. Cabin like, made of a dark wood, yet overgrown with Ivy and moss. It almost looked abandoned, if not for the open door and the white decorative curtains that blew in the slight breeze. The house was surrounded by a very tall fence, wooden sticks the width of his Femur impaled deep into the ground keeping is sturdy and steady.

The closer Sans got, though, the more his curiosity built. There, face smooshed against the fence, was a small figure, and the closer he got the more he could make out of the figure. It was a little human child, thin and looking pale and gaunt. The long (H/C) fell over her shoulder, lackluster and dull, and her (E/C) eyes looked so tired and sad. His soul fluttered in empathetic sorrow for the little thing, and he approached quicker, wanting to make friends with this sad human, hopefully even make the human child smile.

As he finally stood in front of the little thing, she looked up at him, eyes big and wide in wonder and reflecting his own curiosity as they stood regarding each other.

“I’M THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, HUMAN! CAN I KNOW WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELF?” he decided to break the silence, watching as the little thing winced.

“(Y-Y/N), my name is (Y/N).” she mumbled, voice raspy and wheezy, as if unused and forced through a broken pipe.

“WELL, (Y/N) THE HUMAN, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU CAN USE A FRIEND! LUCKILY, I AM THE BEST AT BEING A FRIEND, AS I HAVE READ ALL THE VOLUMES OF “HOW TO FRIENDSHIP”! YES, SO I, THE SUPREME FRIEND, SHALL BE YOUR- UH- FRIEND!”

The giggle that the human gave was broken by wheezes and coughs, but she looked excited and she did have a smile that lit up her entire face. How adorable.

“W-well, magnificent Sans, I would l-love to have you as my s-supreme f-friend!” she said, tone so low and airy, it was close to a whisper.

He gasped, eyes turning to stars in excitement, his entire body shacking with repressed energy at his new friend. A human friend! He was the first monster, the magnificent supreme monster, to make a human friend outside of the mountain!

“WOWZERS! MY FIRST REAL FRIEND ON THE SURFACE! OH, I WILL BE THE SUPREMEST OF SUPREME FRIENDS, HUMAN, I WILL TAKE YOU EVERYWHERE, YOU WILL MEET ALL MY FRIENDS. UNDYNE WILL ADORE YOU, I JUST KNOW THAT PAPYRUS WILL LOVE YOU, AND-“

“Papa said I shouldn’t open the gate for anyone, not even friends.”

He fell silent momentarily, his heroic pose faltering temporarily at her quiet interruption, before jumping closer to the fence and sitting down in front of the little human child, legs crossed.

“THEN I WILL STAY RIGHT HERE, HUMAN! FOR I HAVE MADE A FRIEND AND I WILL BE THE BESTEST OF FRIENDS!”

She looked so happy, so hopeful, and he, in fact, felt like a hero. A hero to a human child behind a locked fence.

And so, the friendship bloomed in the following few days, the child asking Sans all sorts of questions, eyes wide and alive as Sans regaled her with his adventures in the underground, talking all about his lazy brother, and the human child Chara that had at last freed them all. He gushed about Napstaton, the music always good to do a good workout in. And for the next three days, he would always promise the little child he would return. And he always kept his promises.

However, on the third day, just as he was about to leave, she reached through the fence and grabbed his hand, little fingers weak in their hold on his phalanges.

“Sans… will- will you come to my funeral?” The question was mumbled, yet hopeful, and Sans furrowed his brow in confusion.

“FUNERAL?”

“Yes, when I die, and they put me in the ground for the worms to eat. Will you come and tell me one more story?”

He wasn’t very familiar with the human custom of dusting. But dying was dying, and she was so young, and he would never let anything happen to his friends. He was sure they’d have time to make friendship tacos, maybe something with Honey for his lazy brother, maybe even Honey Tacos! How had he not thought of that?

“OF COURSE, HUMAN, MANY, MANY YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN YOU HAVE GAINED MANY YEARS OF ADVENTURES, WE HAVE MADE TACOS AND I AM A MAGNIFICENT OLDER SKELETON, I WILL TELL YOU MANY MORE STORIES!”

She tugged again, and Sans, confused sat back down, attention on the little thing and her serious face.

“N-no, Sans. Next year. Maybe this. I am sick, see?” she pulled gently at her long, dull, hair and strands of it just fell out. She didn’t even flinch. Had she gotten paler?

“OF COURSE NOT, HUMAN! I WILL FIX YOU RIGHT UP! FOR I AM A HERO, AND HEROES HELP THEIR FRIENDS!” he exclaimed. Of course, he would heal his little human friend. Yet as he looked at her, he almost deflated, frowning but nodding at her to continue.

“I d-don’t think you c-can… Mama died last month. Papa, he is working hard to buy the medicine, but I know I am going to sing with the mushrooms soon. I’m very s-sick, Sans. And it hurts. But I have you as my friend, right? I n-never had a friend before. It’s such a beautiful gift.” She looked so happy, her words brimming with affection and kindness and gratitude. His soul constricted.

“I AM GOING TO HELP YOU (Y/N), I WILL BRING MY BROTHER, HE ALWAYS KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT TO DO, EVEN IF HE DOES EVERYTHING AND IS LAZY AT THE SAME TIME, THAT LAZYBONES.”

This brought a new giggle out of the child and with a beaming smile he jumped up, running back to the camp with a short wave back.

He had barely set foot in the camp when Papyrus appeared next to him, falling into step as if he’d been there all along.

“Sup bro, where’ve y’ been off to? You done with the packing?” the taller skeleton questioned, taking a puff of the cigarette as he walked with Sans.

“WELL, IF YOU HAD THE DECENCY TO BE USEFUL AND NOT A LAZYBONES AS PER USUAL, YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN I HAVE MADE A FRIEND!”

Papyrus looked at him amused, browbone raised as they reached their shared tent, their belongings strewn around the small space.

“A new friend, huh. Who wouldn’t want to be friend with ya, tho’ bro, you’re the coolest.”

Sans chest expanded with pride as he nodded.

“OF COURSE I AM, I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS AFTER ALL, AND THE HUMAN AGREES WI-“

“Human?” Papyrus sat up from the cot he had just sat down on, eyes trained on his younger brother, eyelights pinpricks. Sans knew his brother didn’t much like humans, but he was sure (Y/N) would win him over.

“YES, BROTHER, A SMALL HUMAN CHILD, (Y/N)! SHE’S VERY SICKLY, BUT I AM SURE WE CAN FIX HER RIGHT UP, YOU AND I, IF-“

“Bro, I don’t think it’s a good idea to interact with a human just yet, the king has yet to return, and humans can be dangerous. Just let him ret-”

“DON’T CODDLE ME, PAPYRUS, I AM A GROWN SKELETON, AND I WILL NOT BE BABIED. THE HUMAN IS A HARMLESS CHILD, IN FACT, SHE WON’T EVEN LEAVE HER GATED HOME. AND SHE CAN BARELY STAND. BUT WITH THE POWER OF MY FRIENDSHIP, And Your Lazy Help, I KNOW WE CAN SAVE THE HUMAN CHILD AND BE BEST FRIENDS!”

He looked too excited, and Papyrus couldn’t bring himself to destroy that. He would follow for a while though, see if this child really was all that harmless, and if she dared to hurt his brother… he’d show her what he does to dirty brother killers.

And so, three days turned to a week, and then to two. Sans visited the small child daily, often bringing her food, infused with healing green magic, in hopes of her improvement. And yet, the child kept getting weaker, even as she seemed to be happier and happier whenever Sans saw her. Papyrus had followed his brother daily inconspicuously, but had relaxed substantially at the poor humans’ weak condition and obvious lack of malice. And he saw how happy Sans was, often talking about the play pretend game of that day, the joke the child told him, the stories he recounted for her, whenever he returned to their shared tent at night.

He smiled as he watched from the forest border, as his brother talk animatedly with the child, how they would play through the fence and as his brother said something that made her light up in joy. She rushed to the gate, almost stumbling from excitement on her weak legs, and he watched affectionately, yet alert, as the gate flew open. Sans grabbed the small human, giving her a hug, talking excitedly to the child in his crushing hug, a happy smile on his teeth. He chuckled, taking a long drag of the cigarette, looking down as he threw the bud on the floor, carefully stomping on it to not cause a fire to the forest.

When he looked back up, Sans was still hugging the child, but the child looked weird, legs dangling, limp and quiet in his brothers’ arms. He knew his hugs could be overwhelming, his brother didn’t really know the strength he had in those bones of his, as Papyrus remembered the way Sans almost carried the entire couch on his own once. He chuckled, about to turn away, when Sans finally set the child on her feet.

She collapsed.

He stopped short, observing Sans, as he grabbed her again, shaking her slightly, then more forcefully, a growing sense of dread growing in his soul. Sans pulled one of her eyes open, before rushing forward, with the child in his arms, into the house looking for help.

Shit.

He teleported just as Sans left the house, catching his brothers panicked eyelights. A distraught sob broke through his brothers’ teeth, eyelights pinpricks and magic tears pooling in the sockets as he ran towards Papyrus, the child still clutched to his battle body.

Fuck.

She wasn’t breathing. He knew that human’s chest should raise from the breathing of their lungs. She lay, completely motionless, in his brothers’ arms, limp… lifeless.

Shit-Fuck.

“IT W-WAS A-AN ACCIDENT, I D-DIDN’T KNOW, SH-SHE WAS SO WEAK, I-I DON’T KNOW WHAT- I DIDN’T MEAN TO, I WAS SO EXCITED AND – AND-“ big fat blue tears streamed down his cheekbones, he was almost slumped over the child… the dead child. He didn’t know what to do, almost considering returning to Chara to ask to RESET, but no, they had fought so hard, he couldn’t let a single human child ruin that for all of them… not again. Grinding his teeth, he knew he had to dispose of the body.

“Bro, you need to give her t’ me for now, I’ll take care of it- her… I’m going to take care o’ us and of this, ok? It’ll be OK.” he took a step forward, watching his brother almost flinch away, holding onto his friend. His dead friend. His dead friend that could throw the entire Human population into a frenzy over the Monsters that killed a child.

As immoral, and horrible, as it sounded, he had a choice. He could leave her here and risk losing everything he fought for. He could find another human, give the dead body to them, expose the Monsters and again, risk everything and put Sans in harms way… or he could get rid of the body, lie to his brother, and be the only one burdened with the situation.

It was an easy, yet painful decision... He would never endanger his brother.

Taking the small fragile body of the child made him tense, images of Chara, of the fallen children, of the countless resets, rushing through his minds eye, as he left Sans behind as he closed the door and windows of the small cabin. He would reassure him when he returned.

As he looked at the body, moving quickly through the forest in search for something, anything, where he could deposit her corpse safely, she looked almost as if she were sleeping. Yet, he knew, this would not be something she could recover from. She looked so pale, so weak… Dead.

He stumbled at his inattention during his inspection of the child, sneaker getting stuck on an upturned root of a tree and he fell. Her body flew from his hold, and he watched with dread as it tumbled down the incline he hadn’t even noticed he was rushing toward. She hit the river with a loud splash, and for a second, just a split second, he thought her eyes had shot open. And then she was gone. Just like that, her little body was swept away into the fast currents and turbulence of the river that carved the valley, leaving behind nothing but one strip of the shirt she wore, still clutched in his phalanges.

He crumbled. He fell apart, clutching the piece of fabric close, as he heard Sans running closer, searching desperately for him, as he cried. He wanted to be strong for Sans, but she was just a child, they were just children, they were innocent children and they were _dead_. If he had paid more attention, forbidden Sans from seeing the child, reminded him she was weak. Reminded Sans how much strength he had… been there with him…

He heard Sans run towards him, skidding to a halt in front of him, eyelights searching for the child before they fell on the fabric in Papyrus’ hands… the broken ground from where she had tumbled down and beyond it… the rushing of the water’s aggression.

He muttered, falling to his knees as they both hugged each other tightly, the cloth blowing in the breeze.

“Oh god, oh god” Sans kept whispering quietly to himself, and Papyrus-

“I’m so sorry!” he cried. Not just for (Y/N) but the suffering, the pain, the death and loss, for those damned resets and the children. For the humans that locked them in, and the human that helped them be free. He was upset, but most of all. He was angry. So angry at the years of being locked by these humans, yet seeing them so weak at the same time.

And most of all, he felt his soul stutter at the almost brief and hesitant hug his brother gave. Holding himself back. Retreating into himself.

They almost, almost, didn’t notice the sharp sting on their radius But they did, simultaneously looking down at their radius, as the words etched themselves into their bones, a finality that revealed the human had just died.

The words, just spoken, carved themselves.

A testament to the death of the child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel horrible for these guys... they.... man, they've been through a lot.  
> And poor Blue, turning into something so much more restricted than before... my heart!  
> The following son kind of explains their mentality in the years that followed Readers death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGH-4jQZRcc


	12. Part 3. Wrapped in Forgiveness

You came to suddenly, the feeling of water still lodged in your lungs causing you to gasp for air. The oxygen tasted sweet and freeing on your tongue, contrasting with the tears running down your cheeks which tasted salty on your lips. You were shaking. You didn’t want to open your eyes, afraid of seeing the rocks under the water’s surface, afraid you’d feel the water burning as it invaded your airways, or the way your body had been slammed into the boulders before the blackness carried you back to, what you hoped, was your small apartment. The green light that shone through your eyelids was fading quickly, a tugging at your chest that seemed to ease as your breath slowed down to normal.

“W-what just-“

You ignored Sans stutter, Blue’s heavy breathing and quiet hiccupping. You stood up stiffly and moved automatically along the path you knew led to the bathroom, without opening your eyes. You didn’t want to see them… either of them, right now. You felt like you could shatter. Nor did you want to acknowledge yet what happened. With Sans’ explanation, you knew this had to be the memory from Blue’s Universe, the way he… no _they_ had killed you. Him and his brother. Crushed you so tight you lost consciousness and then deposited mercilessly to the anger of the rushing water.

You quickened your pace, know you stood now in front of the door that would allow you to break down.

Were they at fault?

You opened the door of the bathroom and slipped inside, just as you heard Blue call your name before you shut the door, quietly, and locked it.

And you broke. You cried. You muffled your broken sobs with the hand towel you now clutched in your hands, back leaning against the door where you could hear Sans talking to Blue quietly, then Jess arguing with them. You couldn’t find it in yourself to care.

You’d died.

Twice now.

The thought made you gasp for breath, the phantom feeling of the bullet and the water rushing into struggling lungs making you panic, scratching at your throat to relieve you of what wasn’t there. You didn’t feel the rush of magic, nor noticed the scent of thunder, nor heard your name being called over and over urgently, yet the arms and phalanges that pulled at your hands, reminded you too much of the feeling of Blue’s brother holding your unconscious body. You jerked and struggled momentarily, before you were enveloped in a hug that squeezed you tight but with enough room to breathe.

It grounded you, the hand which was finally able to pry your fingers from your neck a cool and dry reminder that you were not under the surface. You opened your eyes hesitantly, just as Sans’ managed to pry you hands away. His pale phalanges, you noticed with an almost apathetic realization, came back bloody. You slumped into the hold, now recognizing Sans’ scent, comforting, his deep baritone voice shushing you gently, reminding you to breathe… breathe…. Breathe.

You gasped for air again, and the taste was bitter sweet as your eyes finally refocused, eye trained on the hoodie, blotched with blood where your fingers clutched tightly to him. You could hear Jess talking to Blue on the other side of the door, as he muttered something over and over and over.

No, it wasn’t their fault. It wasn’t their fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but those humans that locked them into the mountain. And how would you have felt, if all of that had been put in jeopardy because of one mistake? Was your life more important than the freedom of the monsters? Was Blues excitement enough to find them guilty of ill intent?

As your heart finally started to calm down, Sans’ hands running soothingly over your back, you knew you couldn’t blame them. They didn’t know human anatomy; how would Blues brother know to look for a pulse? And Blue? His light grip, his distance from people, his now obvious restraint from physically interacting much with people.

He was scared of himself. Eaten at by his guilt for something that they should never be held accountable for.

There was no ill-intent. Only mistakes, panic and a sense of foreboding fear. An accident.

“It was an accident…” you voiced your thoughts into Sans’ hoodie. He took your chin between his index and thumb, moving your head up so he could look into your red eyes. You probably looked a mess.

“Are you ok, (Y/N)?” he asked, gentle, and warm and so… so handsome. You flushed, looking away before nodding.

“It was an accident. He didn’t mean to, they… they didn’t know…” you mumbled, as Sans helped you stand and sit on the edge of the bathtub. His Phalanges intertwined with your hand, giving it a squeeze that further grounded you to the present.

A wet towel ran down your cheek to your neck, wiping away the drying blood from the scratches on your neck, before returning, clean side up, to wipe the tears and snot from your face. You blushed, embarrassed, which made Sans chuckle lightly.

All cleaned up, he helped you stand, giving you a tight hug. You flinched momentarily, before melting into it. It wasn’t their fault.

\-----

It took you a few more minutes before you were able to unlock and open the door. Blue sat on the couch back in his previous spot, and he looked awful. Blue tears streaked his cheekbones, a pained scowl on his face that made your heart clench at the sight. He looked destroyed. He looked guilty.

You approached carefully, as if approaching a scared and skittish animal. Even so, you noticed the obvious flinch and him avoiding your gaze completely. You knew your eyes and cheeks were still red, a testament of your earlier panic attack, but Blue… he was shaking, eyelights unable to meet your own eyes nervously, wringing his bandana in his hands and distraught.

You approached, before kneeling in front of him, making him jolt slightly.

“Blue…”

“I-I’m S-Sorry…” he hiccupped, and you couldn’t keep yourself from leaning up and pulling him into a tight hug. He flinched, panicked for a few seconds, rigid in your hold, before tentatively reaching his arms around shoulders while you pulled him down to kneel with you.

And the dam broke. He buried his head in your neck, hiding behind your hair, as he muttered apologies and begged for forgiveness, his hug alternating between strong and sturdy to light and fleeting. And you hugged back, letting him cry and apologize and babble, the sheer yearning for the relief of forgiveness so obvious in his voice.

And you couldn’t help but whisper back gentle words against his cheek, absolution in the forgiveness you gave, letting him bleed the guilt he had carried so long, releasing him from the pain he caused to himself.

“It wasn’t your fault, it was an accident, you didn’t know, it’s alright, I’m here, I forgive you.” Bubbled over your lips in a steady stream, and finally, finally, Blue hugged you back, tightly. As Sans had anchored you to the present, you would serve Blue as his rock, a confirmation that everything was over. He was alright, he was ok, and he should never have to carry the burden of an accident. Not him, nor his brother.

As Blue seemed to calm down slightly, you pushed him back gently so you could look into his eyelights, hoping he could find the truth behind your words.

“I forgive you, Blue. I forgive your brother. You are innocent, my friend, and you are not to blame for things beyond our control. You would never have known what would happen. How could you? Stuck underground for an eternity. Fate is a terrible friend, followed by life and death constantly, and when accidents happen, we can’t control the outcome. I can’t blame you. Not then, not now, not ever.”

The hopeful look in Blues eyelights warmed your heart as he looked for something in your eyes, which he seemingly found as a bright smile broke on his teeth. It washed away the last remnants of the phantom pain you had felt and replaced it with a deep affection that you weren’t sure where it came from, feeling almost foreign but welcomed into the darkness that had surrounded you both.

Sans’ hand on your shoulder made you look up at him, a smile playing on your lips returned by a tired yet more relaxed one on his own. He helped you and Blue stand, which made you giggle when your spine popped slightly making the both of them wince.

“Tea?” you asked, and Sans snorted. Jess rolled her eyes at you, murmuring about returning to her game, before leaving the living room again. You felt bad you hadn’t even noticed your best friend with you, but to be honest, who could blame you.

As Blue nodded, you moved to the half open kitchen, Sans and Blue following after, the former looking a bit wary still. You started the process of finding the tea and the honey, set the water to boiling and turned to both skeletons sitting on the island stools.

“So… now what?” you asked the quiet skeletons, prompting them to share a look with each other.

“WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR SOUL, IF YOU’D BE WILLING, MAIDEN.” Blue finally piped up, and your heart skipped a beat at his more boisterous voice, a freedom behind them that you now noticed had been missing.

“Will it hurt?” Both Blue and Sans shook their head in denial.

“You’ll feel a slight tug, but it shouldn’t be too unpleasant with your consent. You can always tell me to stop, Starlight, and I will stop on the spot.” The use of the nicknames did not go unnoticed, but to be fair with yourself, after the crazy happenings these last few months, you didn’t really feel like questioning it right now.

You nodded in agreement, jumping at the sound of the water boiler dinging, signifying it was done.

Tea prepared, you handed two mugs of steaming tea to the skeletons as you all retreated back to the living room for the procedure.

You were nervous, of course, but as Blue sat next to you, squeezing your hand in his, you relaxed. You trusted them.

“Ready?” Sans questioned, looking at you for any sign of resistance, before you nodded.

With a ‘come hither’ motion of his index, you felt it. It was a slight tugging, in the middle of your chest, as if something was being pulled that was offering resistance. You tried to let it go, yet no matter how much you told yourself, and felt alright with letting your soul out of its casing, it refused. The tugging increased, making your breath labored. Something snapped and you could not breathe again.

You barely noticed Blue releasing your hand as his own phalanges reached for his Radius, but you felt yourself constricting. Green flashed across your vision, a multitude of green that seemed to explode from you in all directions, winding themselves over your body, your neck, your legs, pulling tighter and tighter, painfully constricting you almost like a boa. You struggled, reaching out for Sans, almost unable to move, but he took notice, as with a “Oh Shit-“ he released your soul. It slammed back into your body with a wince and a cough, as you were pushed back into the couch with the force.

“What -*cough*- the fuck -*cough*- Sans?!” you wheezed, as beside you Blue rubbed his Radius, the radiating pain subsiding. Sans looked so confused, as both you and Blue regained your breath, sweat lightly beading on his skull as he stared at you with wide blown eyelights.

“I’m -guessing that – wasn’t a normal- occurrence then?” you sucked in air greedily, so done with the feeling of loss of air for the day, that you almost just wanted to kick the skeletons out unceremoniously.

Damn Sans and his handsome face and Blue and his adorable self.

“No… that should… not happen at all…” he muttered, rubbing the back of his skull in thought.

“WHAT WERE ALL THOSE… GREEN THINGS?” Blue’s hand rubbed your back gently, and you looked back at Sans for answers.

“I have… no clue, Blue. They looked like strings or… threads… beads? All tangled into (Y/N)’s chest and from the glow I would say, tied to her soul. I wasn’t able to pull it out, it barely breached the surface before-” he trailed off with a flourish of his hand. He looked up at you from his gaze on the rug, skull tilted questioningly.

“Would you be alright if we-“

“Fuck no, we’re not doing that again.” You interrupted him quickly, Sans’ face falling into a scowl, but with an understanding nod.

“Of course, Starlight, I wouldn’t want to put you through anything like this again. But we do need to figure out what’s going on, kid.” He slumped, running a hand over his face again, looking so tired and making you realize just exactly how exhausted you were.

“MAYBE ANOTHER TIME, CLASSIC, I BELIEVE WE PROBABLY HAVE PUT MAIDEN THROUGH ENOUGH TODAY, DON’T YOU?”

Shooting Blue a relieved smile, you nodded.

“We can… we should look it up and see what’s going on… later. It’s… I’m a bit overwhelmed and honestly, I don’t think I can actually take much more today. Plus, Sans… you need to sleep.”

He was about to argue back, but a loud yawn ripped its way out of his nonexistent throat, making you giggle.

A loud “FUCK” from your room made the three of you look towards the closed door, before laughing and standing.

“You’re right kid. We do need a breather huh?”

“Yeah… I think that’s enough for-“

You were interrupted by the chime of a phone and Sans pulled one from his pocket, taking a quick look at the caller before answering. He held his index up in a ‘give me a minute’ sign.

Turning to Blue, you smiled, pulling him back into a hug he all too happily returned, lifting you off your feet slightly making you giggle. It felt like a relief, to see him come out of his shell, even if he still flinched away and felt undecisive about how tight to hug.

“You’re always welcome here, Blue. I mean that.” You mumbled into his shoulder before pressing a kiss to his cheekbone, watching with interest as a light blue flushed over the bone. He smelled like peppermint bubblegum and a fresh spring.

“Thank You, Maiden. I Will Visit Often. Maybe You’d Even Like To Meet My Brother, Pa-uh-Stretch. He’s Very Lazy, But He’s The Best Brother, After The Magnificent Sa-Blue Of Course.” He replied, into your hair. Setting you back down on your feet gingerly, he took a quick glance over you to make sure you were, in fact, alright.

“I’d really like that, Blue.”

Sans returned, pocketing his phone again in his hoodie, as he frowned.

“Alright, we have to head back home, Starlight. You’ll be ok?” he asked, and Blue stepped closer to Sans, who reached a hand to his shoulder in a tight grip.

“You mean, apart from being terrified?” you replied with a laugh, before you nodded.

“Yeah, Let’s just… Let’s not do that again.” Sans and Blue gave you large smiles at those word, tired yet more relaxed than when they arrived.

And with the smell of thunder and rain, both were gone, leaving you drained, confused, but feeling freer than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, the 3 Part Swap revelation is done. I can't wait for a bit of fluff and adorableness, before the angst returns XD


	13. Chapter 13

The few nights that followed that fateful day, you woke up drenched in sweat, a silent garbled scream on your lips, from the nightmares that plagued you.

No matter if you had forgiven the brothers, no matter that you had ultimately survived the bullet wound, in your dreams you still felt the pain of the wound and the water in your lungs, invading your body like green snakes, or vines in your veins, tugging you into every direction, yet unable to move.

And you’d wake up, again and again, waiting until the nightmarish vines faded away from your vision and the water drained through your eyes. Your nightmares were plagued with skeletons and darkness, stones and boulders, and eyes, so many eyes locked on you, red, cyan, purple, yellow, green. And between all of them, Sans stood as he mumbled unintelligible things as Vines kept creeping out of his sockets to crawl further into your veins, burning, shredding, ripping you apart. It left you breathless and panicked and hurting when you woke up, running your hand over your scarred skin as if to remove those darned vines that kept invading your dream.

Which is why you had refused to call Sans in the last few days. You know he wasn’t at fault for how you felt or even what transpired, but you knew it would give you just more to worry about and you desperately just wanted to pretend everything was normal for a few days so you could recover.

No, it would be best to not reach out for right now and let yourself relax.

It hadn’t really been more than two days though, when you decided that you could maybe face social media and the post-picture-pandemonium that had followed the interview, and see if any of your family or friends had reached out to you over BaceFook. And to be quite honest, you were very curious about what the media was currently focused on and if any of the messages received were of any interest to start with.

It was as you sat on your couch, facing the sunny window, scrolling through your phones messenger on BaceFook, that you finally stumbled over Troy who had, indeed, tried to call the day before. For a few seconds you felt guilty for not calling him back, or even answering the phone, but decided that it would be fine to answer over BaceFook instead. Opening the chat with him, you noticed he had changed his profile picture to that of him standing proudly in front of the human Embassy next to a lady you faintly recognized as part of the HIPP.

 **Troy W. Lavanche:** Hey there, (Y/N), I tried calling you yesterday, sorry if I caught you at a bad time. The team’s been very worried for you and they are excited for you to come back next month. Just wanted to inform you that your new Manager might call to introduce himself to you during the week. Hope you’re doing better!

 **(Y/N) (L/N):** Hey! Troy! Sorry I missed your call, had a bit of a hectic day and wasn’t really paying attention to the phone. And awwwww, I miss the team as well. I can’t wait to see them either, nor to hopefully eat some of Agatha’s ‘Welcome back’ brownies. Again, congrats on your promotion, big shot! No more favorite manager for me ☹

_Seen_

It only took Troy two full minutes to answer, which made you smile warmly at the screen. He always answered quick and you were glad that he hadn’t changed through all of what had happened.

 **Troy W. Lavanche:** Agatha has already promised them. AND she’s claiming she’ll bring you some of that merengue she told you about last year. Sorry, Frederick unfortunately left the company to go back to his parents. We didn’t really pry, but we know he was a big help to you in the office.

 **Troy W. Lavanche:** Since we’re on the topic, I wanted to ask you something a bit more personal, if you’d be alright with that? Kind of, off the records?

 **(Y/N) (L/N):** I’m so sad he left. I know his mom was a bit sick, but if he had to move back, then I’m sure they needed him. And yeah, of course! Have I ever been able to say no to you, boss?

_Seen_

**Troy W. Lavanche:** Not that I can think of… no actually, you refused to give me a piece of the key-lime pie back in November! Anyways, someone from the visual department gave me a copy of Toriels speech when things happened, and I re-listened to the interview at the hospital. You mentioned that the shot sounded from your left, yet the commotion started from behind us on that day, do you know if that’s accurate, and can you pinpoint where it actually came from?

You sputtered, looking at his message with a frown. Why did it matter? Why was he looking into this? Wasn’t the EPD supposed looking into it again? And as the head of the Human Integration Plan, shouldn’t he be focusing on the more positive outcomes recently? Maybe he was just curious, or he wanted to help catch the perpetrator after all these months? No matter, you thought to yourself, you knew he probably was busy and maybe the information could be helpful with the pushing of the human and monster cooperation. He tended to be a bit more reserved when he worked on his bigger projects.

 **(Y/N) (L/N):** Well, I think it was to my left. I’m not too sure, since, I mean, I did fall into a coma right after I think… plus, with the chaos and everything, I really can’t be sure. Why, what’s up?

_Seen_

**Troy W. Lavanche:** Ah nothing urgent, side project as per usual. I’m wondering if you had any new visitors lately, anything happened, have you been ok, any monsters or humans been stopping by?

 **(Y/N) (L/N):** Yeah I’ve been find, don’t worry Troy! It’s all been great lately. Had a few friends visit and everything. Jess is taking splendid care of me.

_Seen_

**(Y/N) (L/N):** *fine

_Seen_

**Troy W. Lavanche:** You’ve seen that skeleton around?

 **(Y/N) (L/N):** Uh, which one, there are a couple you know… if you’re talking about Sans, yes, why you asking?

_Seen_

You waited a few minutes but no reply came and you sighed in confusion. Troy had a way of asking things as if he were digging for information, but usually he was just asking out of curiosity. Whatever it was the man wanted, you knew he had his reasons and you wouldn’t have to worry about it unless he needed your help. Deciding to not pay it too much mind, you looked outside the open window of your living room.

It was beautiful. The sun was shining behind white fluffy clouds, the warm weather had become bearable and the slight breeze that brushed past the curtains and the open windows into the bedroom carried a refreshing clean scent with it. You really wanted to go out… but Jess was at work, your family was too far away and your coworkers were busy and you didn’t feel at ease with them.

And you really didn’t want to see Sans just yet... But maybe Papyrus? You broke in a smile, thinking about the sweet giant of a skeleton. He’d be perfect to go out on a walk with and his caring comfortable nature would be just what you’d be looking for today, to settle your frazzled nerves.

So, with that thought in mind, you flipped through your contacts before landing on Papyrus’ number and pressed the call button.

The phone rang all of two times before the loud voice of your boisterous friend answered.

“HUMAN (Y/N), HELLO! HAVE YOU CALLED BECAUSE YOU MISS YOUR GREATEST, BESTEST OF FRIENDS, THE GREAT PAPYRUS?”

You pulled the phone from your ear slightly in order to save your eardrums from certified destruction, before replying with an affectionate smile on your face.

“Why yes, sir, I would very much like to converse with the world renown Papyrus. I was hoping you could bestow me with the pleasure of your company today?” you giggled teasingly, and you could almost see the smile and blush on Papyrus’ Zygomatic bones.

“OF COURSE, DEAREST HUMAN, I WAS ACTUALLY JUST PREPARING FOR AN EXCITING GREAT HIKING TRIP TO THE MOUNTAIN NEARBY, IF YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN US?”

You could hear someone in the background, but couldn’t pinpoint if it was Sans or not. You really didn’t want to see Sans just yet.

“When you say ‘us’, who are you referring to, Pap?” you decided to question, but knew you’d say yes, regardless of who it was. You just wanted to stretch your legs and feel some sunshine on your skin. All this being locked up sure made you feel drained.

“BLUE, OF COURSE. THESE LAZYBONES, WE DEEM TO BE OUR BROTHERS, WOULD NEVER AGREE TO ANYTHING AS PHYSICALLY EXTENUATING AS HIKING, SUNSHINE. SO, OF COURSE SANS AND STRETCH WILL NOT BE JOINING US, EVEN THOUGH THEY DEFINITELY SHOULD GET OUT AND DO MORE!”

You heard a quiet answer you couldn’t distinguish, but knew it had to have been a pun from one of the less energetic brothers, as the groan that followed coming from Papyrus said it all. You took only a few seconds to think about whether you could face _Blue_ , instead of Sans, but the picture of the cute skeleton, wide eyelightd, cute blush and those eternally beautiful stars in his sockets he had when first seeing you…

“Yeah, I would love to join you guys. You sure you’re OK with it though? I’m still a bit of a slow walker after all, and not the most physically fit, Pap.” You quickly added the last part almost inaudibly, your hands nervously pulling at the hem of your shirt. You hoped that he’d accept your current restrictions, and you knew you’d never be able to match the boisterous Skeleton with his long legs, but it only just now occurred to you that they were, in fact, skeletons. Thin, tall, handsome even, with such a gentle and loving nature. And you were… your hand pushed slightly into the slight pudge of your stomach self-consciously, the weight you’d lost during your coma returning quicker than you had wished for. And you knew that these skeletons, with everything they had going for themselves, could have just about-

“YES, OF COURSE SUNSHINE, WE’D ABSOLUTELY LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN US. AND WE’RE VERY PATIENT WITH OUR FRIENDS, I BELIEVE BLUE AGREES WITH ME?-”

The “OF COURSE, JOIN US MAIDEN.” That rang in the background made you giggle.

“-AND IF YOU GROW TIRED, WE CAN CARRY YOU! OH! WE CAN BUILD PUZZLES TOGETHER IN THE WOODS! AND MAYBE BURRY SOME TREASURE!” he sounded so excited, along with the “YEAH!” from Blue interjecting him every so often, and it made your heart swell and warm at the thought, previous musing completely forgotten and affection for these two lovable rambunctious skeletons coursing through you.

“I-I’LL T-TAKE THAT AS A Y-YES THEN, SUNSHINE?” he asked, the sudden stutter confusing you but you decided not to question it.

“Haven’t even said anything Pap! But yes, I would love to tag along with you guys. Can you send me your address so I can come meet you?”

“NONSENSE, HUMAN! WE WILL PICK YOU UP! SEE YOU IN 20 MINUTES!” and without giving you room to answer, he hung up.

With a grin you set off to get ready for the hike.

\-----

Eighteen minutes later you heard honking outside your apartment. You rushed to the window, mouth agape at the very expensive looking red convertible in the buildings driveway, before shouting through the still open window “In a second”, then closing it.

You put on some well-worn sneakers, wearing a comfortable ensemble of black leggings, short shorts and a loose black T-Shirt with a small Zorrilag skeleton on the front. You shoved your medication, some bottles of water and some Sandwiches and Grapes into your backpack, along with a power bank, your phone and wallet. With one last look around the apartment, you nodded satisfied that the windows were closed, plants were watered and the oven wasn’t on, the closed and locked the door.

Your elderly neighbor, Mrs. Garrison, beamed at you as she unlocked her own front door with shaky wrinkled hands.

“Heading out to enjoy the sun, deary?”

You nodded, giving her a warm smile as you responded.

“Yes, Mrs. Garrison. My friends are picking me up, so I do have to get going, but we should definitely go to the market again, sometime while the weather is this nice.”

The old lady smiled with a nod before shooing you off.

You waved as Papyrus greeted you with a huge smile on his teeth, wearing less formal clothes than the last time you had seen him. A T-shirt with “Cool Dude” and some light blue jeans looked so very handsome on him, and you wondered how he’d look in a suit or even at the beach, wearing –

You blushed, cutting off the thought as quick as it had arrived, before turning your eyes to the back of the car, where Blue sat, an excited grin on his teeth, wearing the gray T-Shirt and Black Shorts combo, but without his cape, armor or gloves, and next to him… you flushed a bright red at the instant thought that this skeleton was, so, so, so … interesting. Of course, you meant to think _interesting_. He wasn’t at all attractive, slumped in his seat looking both tired yet confident, hooded eyesockets (seriously, how?) giving him an impression of being lazy… yet the smirk on his teeth and the lazy wink he sent your way let you know he’d caught you staring.

“U-uhm, I d-don’t think we’ve m-met, uhm, I-I’m (Y/N).” you said, trying to will the blush away as you stretched out your hand toward the orange hoodie clad skeleton for a shake.

However, he didn’t take it, hands still in his pockets as he gave you an upwards tilt of his skull.

“Nah, don’t believe we have, honey.” He replied in a bored drawl, which very much made your flush disappear instantly. You got the very obvious impression he was not interested in making acquaintances with you, and you, in turn were not interested in people who weren’t at least cordial.

Put off, you let your hand fall to your side, before shrugging and almost flinging your backpack into the front seat, excitement quick to return as you gave Papyrus a hug.

“Soooooooo, is the grumpy orange back there joining us too?” you asked, thumb pointing over your shoulder and ignoring the almost pointed glare the skeleton in the orange hoodie and sneakers sent your way through the rearview mirror.

“OF COURSE NOT, MAIDEN, HE’S MUCH TOO LAZY FOR SUCH EXERCISE! IN FACT, HE’S IN QUITE A MOOD SINCE I HAD TO WAKE HIM EARLY FOR HIS APPOINTMENT AT THE EBOTT SCIENCE BUILDING. IF I DIDN’T WAKE HIM UP, I THINK MY LAZY BROTHER WOULD SLEEP ALL DAY AND NIGHT, WITHOUT BEING PRODUCTIVE AT ALL!”

You laughed at Blue’s indignant tone and at the frowning orange clad skeleton next to your friend in the back. Papyrus let out a soft amused “Nyeh” in reply as he switched lanes.

“INDEED, HIM AND SANS ARE BOTH SUCH IDLE BROTHERS. SANS STILL HAS NOT PICKED UP THAT SOCK!”

“Would you say we’re-“

“-STRETCH NO!”

“-bone idle?”

Papyrus groaned, grinding his teeth in result of the pun. You, however, were trying to refrain from giggling, the unappealing snorts that broke through making you flush in embarrassment.

Stretch gave you an amused smirk in the mirror.

You guess you could call that progress.

When Papyrus pulled into the parking lot of the Ebott University you tensed slightly at the sight of Sans who seemed to be waiting for the Tangerine in the back. When his eyelights caught sight of you, he looked almost as uncomfortable as you felt. You sighed heavily, then waved at him feeling slightly less anxious. Maybe you’d give him a call later to see how he was doing. He almost seemed to read his mind, as he waved at you lazily, while the nacho cheese stick exited the car, giving you a much more relaxed smile.

And with the beanpole deposited, Papyrus shot off towards the valley of the neighboring Mountain.

\-----

You’d thought Papyrus would have driven you to Mount Ebott however when he pulled into the deserted parking spot an hour away from the mentioned mountain, you were surprised.

You’d never been to this specific Valley, even though it was a quite popular hiking spot, and as you looked at the thick growth of the forest in front of you, you wondered why. The stream that carved the valley ended at a dam creating a sort of lake at the bottom of the Valley, where the clear clean water surface reflected the clouds above.

Blue, coming to a stop beside you, looked at the dam with wonder in his eyes, the lake expansive and beautiful. Some couples and families where enjoying themselves around the banks of the water, while dogs and little children splashed in the midst of the small fish and cray fish that inhabited the lake.

“Where I’m From, There’s No Lake Here, Only The Stream.” He whispered reverently, eyelights still gazing over the surface of the water. A child laughter pulled him out of his reverie as he faced you.

“NEXT TIME, WE WILL BRING SWIMMING ESSENTIALS, MAIDEN, SO WE CAN SWIM. OH! MAYBE THERE IS A SUNKEN PIRATE SHIP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE! WE NEED TO CHECK IF IT HAS TREASURE!” and how could you tell him that Pirate ships don’t sail on lakes, if it would make him lose that brilliant hopeful smile? So you nodded, and the smile turned blinding. He hugged you, gently first, but tightening for a split second, and he was running toward the edge of the Dam, bending over the railing to look at the waters below.

Papyrus stepped closer to you, his own backpack slung over his Scapula, eying the start of the trail.

“ARE YOU READY, SUNSHINE?”

And with a nod the three of you took off into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a filler chapter than anything. Sorry if not much happened this chapter, it's not my favorite but I do want to just enjoy writing for the next few ones before plot picks up again


	14. Peace and Spice, and Something Nice

The first half an hour of the trek into the dense forest was awkward to start with. Both Papyrus and Blue had significantly faster paces than yourself, and while it didn’t seem to bother them to stand and wait when they noticed you falling behind, it made you embarrassed and trying to speed up to match their pace. You hated that you walked so slow, knowing it wasn’t just your recovering muscle and tendons, but the weight that people used to mock you for. You tended to fall behind, always self-conscious of your breathing, or the way you felt like your hand were too big or that your back was not straightened the way other peoples were. So you tried to keep a fast pace, back straight and breathing controlled to try and seem like you did this every day.

That was, of course, until the root of some of the crawling fern, hidden underneath the rich green of the moss laying on the ground, caught your sneakered foot. The squeak that escaped your lips, followed by the soft thud of you hitting the leaf covered moss just ahead of you, got the attention of the two skeletons, which had been discussing some kind of new puzzle mechanic you couldn’t quite grasp. Blue, gaze almost frantic, ran towards you, before kneeling in front of you as you gently got up to your knees, face red with shame at your weakness.

“ARE YOU OK, HUMAN? ARE YOU HURT? DO YOU NEED HEALING? DID ANYTHING BREAK, OH GOODNESS, YOU’RE NOT ANSWERING, DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD? HOW MANY PHALANGES AM I HOLDING UP?” the smaller of the skeletons started rambling in a panic, hands a flurry over you but never touching you, visibly holding himself back from doing so.

You laughed at the worried expression, shaking your head as you grabbed his hands, the shame quick to evaporate at the obviously distressed Berry.

“Relax Blue. I’m alright. I’m more resilient than you think.”

At Blue’s incredulous look you grinned up at Papyrus, who was standing next to you, a soft smile on his teeth. Having him do therapy on your legs for those few days had him clued in easily on actual signs of pain or distress, so he knew you weren’t in either state after your fall. Yet as Blue helped you stand, Papyrus’ eye flicked down to your legging covered legs, where, you now noticed, a large rip was present… and a bruised scrape was beading up with blood.

“Ah fuck, these were my favorite pair too…” you mumbled.

Blue’s indignant “LANGUAGE!” was lost as Papyrus swiftly kneeled and placed a glove covered hand over the scrape.

It felt weird. It reminded you of the human-magic sludge they fed to you at the hospital, yet instead of feeling like sludge coursing slowly through your body, it felt like your knee was drawing energy, refreshing and tingling, from deeper within you. It didn’t hurt, per se, but it definitely created an unpleasant itch within your cells that made you antsy. However, you watched in amazement as the scrape quickly mended itself, the skin turning red, sensitive and thin.

You looked up at Papyrus, watching with a strange sense of fondness that seemed duplicated in your chest, his jaw set a bit off center in concentration and brow bones wrinkled. The strange feeling quickly dissipated as he stood, looking proudly at the newly formed skin, while Blue helped you stand.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MAIDEN?” Blue asked, still hovering without actually touching you, holding out a hand to help. You nodded and smiled at both of them in turn, taking Blues hand and letting him pull you up. For a skeleton without muscles, he sure was strong, you mused.

The hike continued after that, the boys significantly slowing down and you, in turn, finally able to enjoy the walk, the fresh air and the occasional sunbeam that broke through the foliage to heat the earth beneath. You perked up as Papyrus and Blue started their conversation again, Papyrus asking about Blues job ‘back home’.

“I WAS WORKING WITH HORSES BACK HOME. SUCH GENTLE CREATURES. I BELIEVE I WAS, WHAT THEY CALLED A JOCKEY, AND MY BRAVE STEED, TACO, IS A MAGNIFICENT WHITE THOROUGHBRED. OF COURSE I AM NOTHING LESS THAN GREATNESS, SO I AM ALSO TRAINER AND OWN THE PROPERTY FOR THE RACES. ALTHOUGH I AM STILL PURSUING THE LICENCE FOR JUMP RACING SINCE IT’S NOT AS COMMON IN EBOTT AS FLAT RACING OR EVEN HANDICAP RACING, BUT IT’S ALWAYS A GLORIOUS DISPLAY OF THEIR NATURAL STRENGTH IN THE STEEPLECHASES, MUCH MORE ELEGANT THAN THE HURDLE RACES FROM OTHER FA- ” Blue stopped rambling, noticing both Papyrus’ and your confused looks, and with an embarrassed look rubbed the back of his skull.

“S-Sorry Maiden, I Own And Race Horses, I Did Not Mean To Bore You With-“

You reached out, patting his shoulder absent mindedly in comfort, stepping over stones and twigs, having long left the trail behind.

“Oh no, Blue, you didn’t bore me at all. I’m in awe of what you do for a living. It’s very admirable, and although I do hold a modicum of fear for the animals, it’s really nice to hear you speak about it with such passion. I just… don’t really know about half of the things you mentioned.” You reassured, smiling as Blue helped you over a particularly slippery moss-covered log.

“INDEED, BLUE, (Y/N) TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY TEETH. I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU THIS EXCITED, YET I MUST ADMIT THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT POSSESS ANY KNOWLEDGE OF HORSES, NOR HORSE RACING.”

And with both Papyrus’ and your insistence, Blue fell into a long, yet interesting, explanation of horse racing, the intricacies of Horse breeding and what every type of Horse racing entailed.

The conversation carried for another thirty minutes when the three of you came to a stop at a nice clearing, giving way to a green meadow with a single tree growing in intricate twining twigs and a thick bark, close to a gentle creek.

Blue had stopped mid explanation at the sense of peace the clearing provided, almost like a sanctuary from the world. It was still for a few seconds, before you almost hesitantly took a few steps into the open sun. Both skeletons watched as you moved forward, a strange look on their face and hands resting thoughtlessly over their sternum.

The peace that overcame you was almost overwhelming. The clean scent of nothing but nature surrounded you, filled with moss and grass and the small hint of pepper that flowed in the breeze. You inhaled deeply, eyes closing at the stillness and quietude. It almost felt like here, in the midst of the trees, the gentle sound of the flowing water in the creek and the occasional whirring of a bee or a fly overhead, you had no worries. The sun shone on your skin and chased away any sense of cold. You were far from the world. No cars. No humans save for yourself. No buildings or phones. No dangers from other people. No politics or confusion. Nothing to hurt you. Only the creek, the sun and the meadow.

Opening your eyes, you stepped closer to the tree, eying the long hanging leaves and the small red orbs that hung from them. A pepper tree! That explained the peppery scent in the air, you deducted, as you pulled one of the orbs from the vine.

‘Spicy Calm’ You snorted lightly in amusement at your own thoughts, then turned to the skeletons you had nearly forgotten in your awe.

“Well, want to stay here for a bit?” you asked, already having decided that, yes, this is where you would have a picnic and enjoy the warm rays of the sun.

Both Papyrus and Blue approached you, looking dazed and relaxed and you looked at them, confused.

“Are you boys OK?” to which they replied with a nod as they seemed to shake themselves out of whatever they had been feeling.

“Yes, Of Course Sunshine, Just Appreciating The Sense Of Peace You Seemed To Gain From This Place.” Papyrus waved the concern off with a smile as he spread out a blanket you hadn’t even noticed he’d been carrying, while Blue took your backpack off to settle it next to you.

As the three of you sat down, sandwiches, grapes and water having been distributed and devoured within seconds almost, you enjoyed the quiet conversation between the two, eying the gentle stream of the water over the rocks that lined the bottom of the creek. You’d occasionally listen in to the discussion, while pointedly ignoring the soft green flashes you could sporadically see from the corner of your eye, as you stared at the flowing water. Almost as if this was a place to lay your head down and let go of all the pain life had bestowed upon you. How weird, yet pleasant.

“- And I Can’t Explain How Ecstatic I Was To Find That The Restaurant Down The Way From Home Was A Mexican Restaurant. In My Universe, It’s A Sushi Restaurant Which Is Delicious, But The Next Mexican Restaurant Is Forty Minutes Away! At Least In This Universe I Can Jog Those Ten Minutes To The Place And Have Quality Tacos. It’s A Good Thing About This Universe.” Blue was saying when you perked up, remembering that indeed, this skeleton was from another universe and not from here. Although the thought didn’t quite make sense to you yet, you turned to him with curiosity.

“Say Blue, so you’re from a different universe, right?” you finally asked, laying down on the blanket and tilting your head back to look at the shorter skeleton. He seemed to tense at the question, but nodded anyways.

“So, like… is there another Sans or Papyrus in your universe?” You observed curiously as Blue and Papyrus shared looks, before the tension faded and the mood lightened as they laughed, their “Mweh hehe” and “Nyeh hehe” so similar and adorable you couldn’t help but giggle along yourself.

“WHY HUMAN, BLUE _IS_ HIS UNIVERSES SANS!” Papyrus explained between ‘Nyeehehe’s as he nodded at Blue.

“Excuse me, what?”

“HAH, I GUESS YOUR SANS DIDN’T EXPLAIN HIMSELF WELL ENOUGH, HUMAN. I GUESS I, THE MAGNIFICENT SA-BLUE, WILL HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOR HIS ABSOLUTE FAILURE AS A FRIEND. PROBABLY BECAUSE HE IS JUST AS LAZY AS MY OWN BROTHER, STRETCH AND-“

You laugh hard, sharing an amused look with Papyrus and Blue looked at you confused yet amused himself.

“You? A Sans? The same Sans that would fall asleep whenever he visited me? The Sans that takes ages to answer? The Sans that wouldn’t move from his spot unless Pap’s life depended on it? _That_ Sans? Nah.” You snorted and both skeletons joined you in your laughter at the expense of the poor skeleton that wasn’t present. The thought of Sans’ eyesocket itching, or even twitching, annoyingly back at the University, had you giggling again.

“MWEH! INDEED, IT SEEMS THAT WE MAY HAVE SWITCHED PERSONALITIES, HUMAN, BUT I ASSURE YOU I AM SANS AND STRETCH, MY BROTHER, IS PAPYRUS.”

You stopped giggling and thought back to the grumpy Tangerine you had met earlier. He didn’t act like your lovable, friendly goof of a friend Sans, which he should if he was supposed to be the switched personality, right? You voiced the question, to which Blue and Papyrus looked pensive.

“It Is True That They Do Not Act The Same, But That Is Because We Aren’t, Yet Are, The Same. We Did, After All, Have Different Experiences That Set Us Apart. And Believe It Or Not, Sunshine, Sans Was Very Similar To Blues Brother When We First Surfaced. And If The Circumstances In Which We Met Had Differed, I’m Unsure Of How He’d Have Acted Towards You.”

You took a moment to process Papyrus’ words before nodding, a sad thought voicing itself in your next question.

“So, if I hadn’t gotten shot, we wouldn’t have been friends?” Disappointment creeped up into your gut. The thought that he was your friend out of guilt and not out of actual interest saddened you, but Papyrus was quick to counter the feeling with a kind smile.

“Not Quite, (Y/N). The Circumstance I Meant Are Your Place Of Work, Your Dedication To Your Team, Your Kind Presence To Anyone You Met. I Don’t Think You Even Remember, But A Monster Recounted To Us, That He Once Tripped And Spilled Some Magma Onto Your Laptop. And Instead Of Being Angry Or Reporting The Ruined Technology To The Authorities Or His Boss, You Offered To Help Him Carry His Cargo To The Correct Department And Then Offered Him Coffee.”

Blue looked at you, as Papyrus recounted what you could barely remember from two years ago, your face a nice red.

“INDEED HUMAN, I THINK MY BROTHER WILL WARM UP TO YOU QUICKLY. IT’S HARD TO RESIST YOUR CHARMING AND FRIENDLY NATURE, MAIDEN.”

Stars, these two would be the death of you, you thought, as your face turned an even darker shade of red and you quickly stood up. You clapped your hands together, looking around and ignoring the self-satisfied yet intrigued looks on the skeleton’s features. Your eyes fell on a stick nearby, the lightbulb moment almost audible, or visible, as you bent to grab it. The soft intake of air behind you went unnoticed. You stood back up with your prize in hand, displaying it proudly to the boys with a grin.

“A… STICK?”

“HUMAN, WE ARE NOT DOGS.” Papyrus muttered, and you again, couldn’t help the unladylike snort that escaped your nose, at the image of Papyrus with long fluffy puppy ears and a drooling tongue lolling out of his jaw, tail wagging happily. You stopped short in your thought’s, as you remembered what Sans had explained about the… Multiverse? Maybe there was a version of dog-Papyrus out there after all, and somehow that image turned from funny to slightly disturbing, remembering the way the neighbor’s dog had-

“MAIDEN?” Blue calling you thankfully snapped you out of your thoughts, which you quickly shook off. You would never picture that again, thank you very much.

“Of course, you’re not, but I thought, since we’re here, why not build our own stick houses? We could see who builds the best one?”

“LIKE, A COMPETITION?” Blue had a mischievous look in his eyelights that made you nervous, but also tickled your competitive side. You sent him a smirk.

“If you think you can beat me, it could be a competition.”

And just like that, both skeletons shared a look that screamed ‘I will win this’, and ran off into different directions, you quickly losing sight of them in the forest.

You giggled to yourself, before setting off as well in search of sticks for your meager attempt at a stick house.

It didn’t take you long to fill your arms with sticks, both dry as well as some still sporting bright green leaves. You noticed that both the skeletons had already started on their own little tent, a fond smile passing over your lips at the sight of them fussing about with the sticks and occasional stone. Your own little tent was coming around small yet sturdy, the sticks hanging close together and the leaves making the roof water proof.

The bickering of the two energetic skeletons had you giggling, as Blue kept saying that his tent would be the prettiest, most magnificent tent while Papyrus insisted that his would be the greatest, tallest and safest house any living being had yet to set their eyes upon, placing sticks into the ground to serve at determent to anyone who looked at it… or well, it should look intimidating. In fact, the meager broken sticks looked harmless more than they looked dangerous and neither of the tents looked at all like a fortress. It took about an hour before the three of you took a step back and admired your handy work…

…

It was a mess.

Blue and Papyrus had aimed higher in their endeavor than could realistically be achieved with the limited supplies, standing tall yet fragile and rickety next to your very short and small, yet sturdy tent. You tried to stifle the laughter, but a look at the skeletons next to you broke the dam and you snorted loudly, which in turn pulled Blue into his own laughter and Papyrus followed with his ‘Nyehehe’s.

“I don’t… I don’t think *snort* that we did that great a-a j-job.” You stated matter-of-factly, before devolving into renewed laughter, the skeletons chuckling along.

“YES, MAIDEN, I DON’T THINK THESE WILL STAND THE PASSING OF TIME.” Blue confirmed with a smile, before Papyrus turned to you, eyelights large and excited.

“SUNSHINE! LET’S BUILD IT TOGETHER! WITH MY GREAT DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES, BLUE’S MAGNIFICENT PROTECTIVE AND VISUAL PROWESS AND YOUR CALM AND STABLE METHOD, WE CAN BUILD A SATISFACTORY HOME TO HOUSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” he exclaimed, and even if you had had an argument against it, both his and Blues almost pleading looks had you caving into any request they’d ask of you.

So, you worked together. The companionship and teamwork fell into place almost as if naturally, meant to be. While you gave instructions on where to place fundamental pieces of wood, Blue procured a trunk from the forest (“Wow Blue, you’re so strong! You sure you don’t need any help?”) to use as the center piece for the hut, holding the smaller logs steady. You went and found the softest moss and leaves to cover the ground. Papyrus hung some pepper corns and small stones, wrapped in the stems from the peppercorn trees’ leaves over the entrance (“So That We Hear Them Entering!”), as well as following your advice of setting thicker sticks into the ground by digging a hole first and filling it with stones.

And it was thus, that two hours later, as the sun was grazing the peak of the trees and the sunlight was filtering, yellow and red, through the pines and oaks, that the three of you stood, moving back to admire your work. It… looked good. It wasn’t a master piece, but it looked inviting, almost as if asking you to step in and curl up in a blanket or sleeping bags.

“WOWZERS.”

“WOWIE.”

You smiled wide at the skeletons reaction, a fondness bubbling in your chest again as you took in their pleased expressions. Yet as the sun started creeping lower, the comfortable warmth that seeped through the leaves started dissipating and you knew that today, as amazing as it had been, would have to end.

“We might want to start heading back if we don’t want to stumble around in the dark.” You noted mournfully, looking at your joint little hut, proud yet unwilling to leave it behind.

As if sensing your disappointment, Papyrus turned to you with a grin, taking your hand in his.

“YOU KNOW SUNSHINE, WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK.”

“INDEED, MAIDEN, WE CAN RETURN! MAYBE EVEN BRING OUR LAZYBONE BROTHERS NEXT TIME? SHOW THEM OUR MAGNIFICENT CREATION!” Blue agreed, striking a pose even as he took your other hand in his. You couldn’t place it, the feeling of something clicking into place, as if this was how it was supposed to be, standing in front of something the three of you had built, something to feel proud of, holding on to each other’s hands as if no one else existed beyond this clearing’s meadow. Like something that had been missing, ever since you awoke from that coma, had returned to you at the contact. The sense of peace, along with the feeling of undeniable affection and care for the two skeletons filled something in your chest. It should have been scary, it should have worried you, but all you could do was squeeze their hands in return and feel grateful for them being here with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hangovers don't help with proof reading your work.  
> I hope it came out as calm as I intended,


	15. Sans Peur Ni Coeur

You returned home, feeling lighter and more at peace than you had in weeks, and after a long refreshing bath you finally tackled the chore of cleaning your damned apartment. You were invigorated and full of nervous energy, as if bracing yourself for the storm to come. You flitted around the bathroom, almost as if ensuring everything was perfect before whatever happened, happened. That’s how Jess had found you, a pile of cleaning supplies stacked in the bathtub as you scrubbed at the shower door to get rid of the limestone build up found there.

Later that night, satisfied with your now clean bathroom and after another shower to get yourself clean, you lay in bed, a book resting against your knees and a warm tea on your bedside table. The soft ‘Ding’ from your phone alerted you to a new message.

Sans Cerveau: Hi kid I kno thngs have been weird was hoping ud like t join us for dinner this week

You looked at the message, Sans’ lazy nature shining through even in text, which greatly amused you.

XXX: Sansy, sorry for having been distant. Loads to take in you know, thought I needed some time and distance from the skeletons in my closet to figure things out. I’d love to come for dinner. Any specific date?

Sans Cerveau: Cool wednsday sound good?

XXX: Sounds perfect Sansy. Are you pulling a Pap and picking me up as well?

Sans Cerveau: u know it kiddo c u weds

You chuckled quietly to yourself, closing the book and finishing your tea. You set the book aside, settled the mug on the table and turned on some light music to help you relax as you settled into the pillows for a much needed night of sleep. The soft glow of red and teal in the furthest corner of your room went unnoticed as sleep overtook you.

\---

The following days found you sleeping without nightmares or disturbances, finishing the house chores and spending time with Jess. You’d gone to the market with Mrs. Garrison on Tuesday, proud of your escapade into the busy halls, where you procured raspberries and blueberries. They would be perfect for desert on Wednesday.

Mrs. Garrison looked very frail as she walked, her old age causing her knees to tremble as she leaned on her walking stick. You helped her where you could, carrying her basket as you found the vegetables she wanted to buy, stopping occasionally to buy some flowers to decorate her small apartment. She’d been very worried, apparently, mentioning hearing you cry a few days ago, and how you had looked so tired the previous day. Honestly, you didn’t really want to burden the sweet old lady with your troubles, so your half answer of nightmares and a long hike really weren’t far from the truth. She had nodded understandingly, patting your arm gently as she honed in on a very delicious looking pair of pears. You purposefully ignored the light pink thread that was coming from her own chest, leaving a fading trail as the both of you walked around the stalls.

In fact, you noticed people walking around, those same threads leaving trails behind them, occasionally. It reminded you of the ones you had seen at the hospital, and it confused you that not all of the humans and monsters walking around had them. You’d mention it to Sans later, maybe before dinner, but decided that for now, it really wasn’t causing you any harm apart from being slightly distracting.

You also found it odd that you were starting to take these weird occurrences in your life in stride. The acceptance that your life currently didn’t really seem like it was in your control, created a sort of apathetic view on everything around you. After the day out with Blue and Paps, the feeling of peace had followed you home, yet seemed to settle into something colder, less freeing and more restricting than before. Lethargic. You couldn’t quite place it, and you couldn’t muster enough energy to care about it. Something bad was going to happen, you just knew it, and you had no control over it. So, you were just going to let it happen.

After leaving the elder lady at her apartment, having carried and put away her groceries in her fridge and cupboards, and accepting the home-made cookies as her thanks, you returned to your own apartment.

Jess was cooking, the smell of Guinness Stew a welcome one as the days were starting to get colder during the evenings. You approached your friend, her blonde hair pulled into a high pony tail, and your arms embraced her in a slight hug causing her to jump with a squeal. You squeezed her slightly, resting your forehead on the nape of her neck, enjoying the presence and warmth of your friend.

You loosened your grip enough for her to turn to face you, quickly pulling you into a hug that you reciprocated with a hitch in your breath. You felt heavy, lethargic and apathetic to most anything more recently, but her warm hug, the affection coming from your best friend and her support, who was doing so much for you, staying in your apartment just to help you, helped you relax slightly.

“You OK, Pumpkin?” her voice cut through the thoughts in your head and you nodded slowly.

“I feel slightly detached. Like I’m dreaming, or like I’m not in control of anything anymore.” You mumbled into her shirt, and she gave you a gentle squeeze.

“Dissociative Disorder is common after trauma, Pumpkin. Do you want to go to the doctor?” her soft voice grounded you and you shook your head, unwilling to go back to the hospital for something trivial like this.

“Alright. You know I have the number of a very good therapist, he could help you if you decide to take the offer, OK?” she continued, and it dawned on you that this friend, this sunshine of a being, had underwent her own trauma, just as you had. You appreciated her friendship, squeezing her tight, happy to have her in your life.

\---

Wednesday arrived quick. Your dissociation still lingered, but the good night sleep helped slightly to make you feel like an actual human being. And while you were excited to see Papyrus and Blue today, something in your gut told you that today something was going to happen. You couldn’t place what, nor why, but the anxious feeling, at the thought of dinner, had you twisting your hands nervously. So, you spent the day cleaning, getting on the ground to scrub at the tiles of the kitchen, the pots and pans shining on the sink to dry and the windows so clean, they looked almost inexistent. Yet the nervous buzzing didn’t let up, even as you took a shower, got dressed in a flowing black dress, reaching to just below your knees and with lose sleeves that billowed slightly as you walked. Jess had teasingly called you Snape once, but the fabric was soft, and it fell on your form in a way that accentuated the good and hid the bad. You pointedly ignored Jess’ snickering.

Hair done, dressed and feeling fresh yet still nervous, you took the Blueberry and Raspberry crumble out of the oven, the lemon custard already waiting on the kitchen isle wrapped in foil, the crumble quick to follow.

“You heading out then, Pumpkin?” Jess asked from her place in front of the TV, a nice helping of leftover stew on the coffee table and a soft blanket over her shoulders.

“Yeah, you sure you don’t want to join us?”

“Nah, Ryan might be coming by later. I promised him some quality Ice cream from that new shop down the way.”

You nodded absent mindedly, hearing a knock on the door.

Sans…

With a settling deep breath, you approached the door and opened it to reveal the smiling skeleton on the other side of the wood.

“Ah, c’mon kid, you ruined the fun. Ya need to ask “Who’s there”.” He said as a greeting, a socket closed and skull tilted slightly as he looked at you, amused.

“Ergh, fine you bonehead. Who’s there?” you crossed your arms, watching with a slight smile as Sans perked up and his smile turned genuine.

“Justin.”

“Justin who?”

“Justin time for dinner. Let’s go, Starlight!” he finished with a wink, and you snorted, landing a soft punch to his hoodie clad shoulder.

“You’re the worst.” You mumbled, slipping on your Mary Janes and slinging your purse over your shoulder, the crumble and custard already in a carrier bag.

“And yet, I’m still your favorite skeleton.”

“Debatable. Papyrus and Blue are pretty amazing.”

Sans pouted slightly, which looked so weird on a skull that it made you giggle, handing him the carrier bag.

“Don’t wait up for me Jess, knowing the boys, they might trap me in one of their puzzles!” The replying snorting grunt from Jess followed you out as you locked the door behind you.

The both of you stood there for a few seconds, the previous light mood quick to be replaced with uncomfortable silence.

“Listen, kid, I-“

“I’m sorry, Sa-“

You both stopped, having started to talk at the exact same time, then laughed together, the tension gone as quick as it came.

“We’re both numbskulls, huh?” he teased, to which you nodded, the lethargy and tension and nervousness leaking out of you, like ice cream under the sun.

“Pretty much. I am sorry though, Sans. It was a lot to take in, you know?” you replied, as the both started your way down the stairs and then outside in the direction of the park.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it kid, I had my own bones to pick. And you gotta throw more at me than 2 days of silence to rattle these old bones.”

You sent him a grateful smile, the silence now a comfortable one. The night was quick to roll in, the sun having long laid to rest and the soft purple and red mingling with the oncoming dark blue of the sky was entrancing. You wondered how the monsters felt, when they saw it for the first time.

“I think we do need to have a serious talk though, (Y/N).” Sans’ statement and him stopping close to the parks entrance made you turn around with a frown, yet gave him a nod to continue.

“I’d like to see how many of these sentences or words you have on ya.” He stopped short, seeing as you pulled the soft wool jacket further down to hide the scars, and grabbed your fidgeting hand in his free one.

“I know you feel uncomfortable with it, but I do believe its of utmost importance that we know what they say and… just exactly how many there are.”

The both of you resumed walking, more to ease the nervousness in you, than to actually move towards the end goal.

“Why though? Does it matter what they s-say? Can’t I just, you know, write them down on a piece of paper and give it to you?” Sans tilted his head in thought at your question, obviously mulling over the possibilities, before shaking his head.

“It’s not just that, Starlight. I really want to run tests, monitor the scars and your soul. Somehow your uh… incident… caused by Blue and his brother… it caused them to be pulled into this universe, but I don’t understand why, or even how. And I’m guessing that the other one who came through at the same time as them, he probably has some writing as well. But if the three of them have the writing, but you have more – and Papyrus did tell me you had at least two more he was aware of – and they’re indicative of them here, then where are they, or why have they not appeared yet, and if so-“ you placed a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention and snap him out of his rambling.

“I have more, Sans. A lot more. But I almost died, was in a coma, got a shit ton of very painful scars, felt myself dying, was attacked and went through therapy, all within two months of me being conscious. I… dude, I just want some time occasionally to feel normal, and every time we talk, it’s always about universes and confusion and guilt. I didn’t ask for this…” you felt yourself deflate, the exhaustion and lethargy hitting you again, and you sat on a bench, ignoring the chill that seeped through the dress at the contact.

“You’re right, Starlight. I just… we just want ta figure out what’s going on, so that we can send the guys home… prevent something like this from happening again and- kid, I want to keep you safe. If you got hurt again, because of me, I couldn’t take it. I don’t know what-“

You don’t know why you did it. You couldn’t place the moment you made the decision, nor the second that you even stood up, but suddenly you had pressed your lips to his teeth, your hands grasping the open edges of his blue jacket urgently and the feeling of him standing still in shock didn’t immediately register.

And just as quickly as you had pressed your lips to his, he tangled his phalanges in your hair, holding you steady, as he pressed back, eye sockets closing just before your own followed suit at the intensity of him kissing you back. You didn’t want to question how something malleable was now pressed against your lips, nor how the tingle spread from your lips all the way down to your toes. The scent of thunder and rain encased you completely. Something slick swiped across your bottom lip, the gasp almost inviting Sans to tangle his tongue with yours. It wasn’t a picture-perfect kiss. Your teeth clashed with his, your hair getting tangled in his phalanges and the noises coming from both of you almost obscene. But you pressed yourself against him, and he pressed back with a fervor and passion that left the both of you breathless yet craving for more.

You parted for air, the kiss lasted mere seconds but felt like hours, gasping together into the night air, his forehead pressed against yours. He sported a dopey smile, eyelights fuzzy and large and looking at you with an expression you couldn’t place. It gave you butterflies in your stomach.

Stars, he’s so handsome.

“Heh, thank you Starlight, you’re gorgeous yourself.” He chuckled at your embarrassed face, before pressing a quick soft kiss to your lips again, a pleased sigh escaping them as he pulled away.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since ya woke up.” He grinned at you, picking up the carrier bag with the crumble he’d dropped in the heat of the moment. You hoped it was still edible, but couldn’t regret the loss of the desert in favor of the kiss.

You blushed, trying to hide your face in your jacket, but as Sans grabbed your hand and pulled you close, you really couldn’t help the warm tingling feeling at the proximity. Nor could you deny the shiver down your back at how he pressed his teeth against your hair before he spoke.

“We’ll talk about everything later, but for now, Starlight, close your eyes. We’re taking a Shortcut.”

You fell into the void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ay! Kissies!  
> This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but I am exhausted and couldn't bring myself to keep writing. Fret not, I promised Angst, Angst will come. Prepare your doom-o-meters!


	16. The Truth Will Set Your Free And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

_You fell into the void._

Just as quick as the world was there, the world was gone. The unsurmountable darkness that consumed you made you unable to understand if indeed you were still alive, or if you had finally passed into the realm of death. The squeeze from Sans’ hand on your waist though, was enough to disparage the feeling of loss.

The glowing threads though, that soon crowded your vision with bright green, were quick to rip that assurance away.

In the span of a nano-second, where you had been in absolute darkness, even before you had time to actually feel panic for what was going on, the darkness around you burst into a green wave of light. You tried to shield your eyes from the stark contrast of the bright green against the never-ending black, but were quick to realize… you couldn’t move your arms. Panic rising, as seconds now ticked by and you could feel Sans tugging, pulling at you, but you couldn’t move. You managed to glance at your own arms, even when your head seemed to not want to move, and you knew, if you could breathe, if air was something which existed in this blank space of darkness, you would have gasped for it. As it stood, you couldn’t vocalize your terror as you watched the same green threads you had caught glimpses of since you’ve awoken, wrapped completely around your arms, burrowing into your skin. You could make out, with unspoken and quiet horror, the green glow infiltrating under your skin as it lit up your veins, causing you to look almost sick yet ethereal. You became nauseous, your body wouldn’t move, the strands were individually pulling you.

And they pulled. The sensation was painful. Each strand was pulling every which way, pulling at every single hair, your fingers, your heart, veins and individual atoms. It felt agonizing, and you could feel it in your soul, the way the threads all focused on the culmination of your being. A similar sensation as when Sans had attempted to pull your soul out of you, enveloped your throat, but it was quick to spread to every part of your frozen body. You wanted to scream, the pain blinding in its intensity and you hoped, screamed without a voice into the green light, begging for mercy, for death, for release of the torture. Yet your mouth wouldn’t form words, the strands weaving themselves around your tongue, your vocal chord and pierced your lips.

Somewhere you could almost feel something else, apart of the ripping apart of your very being, a cooling sensation that soothed and inflamed the burning of the strings around you. You felt like you were being torn, atom by atom, cell by cell.

Please, please, please, _let it end_ , let it end, make it stop, _make it stop,_ MAKE IT STOP, **MAKE IT STOP** , **MAKE IT ST** -

A garbled noise broke through your pain induced nausea, sounding like someone was trying to talk to you, but the voice unrecognizable… or was it the language… you tried not to react to it, not to move, not to do anything in order to assuage the torment you felt at being pulled in every direction simultaneously.

The noise increased in sound, forcing you to open the eyes you hadn’t even noticed you had closed, in your misery. What met your eyes you could barely discern as skeletal hands, a large hole in the palm of them, that gave you a push straight to your chest. It forced the air out of your lungs, flinging you into Sans who you now remembered had been in this pain filled moment with you, and the spike of agony that shot through your entire being almost pushed your mind into the brink unconsciousness.

And just like that, you stumbled over Sans as he pulled you out of that hell, the smell of ozone and dampness still clinging to you. You quickly rolled away from Sans and promptly threw up all over the clean white tiles. You were shaking, arms barely able to hold you up, the phantom pain clinging to your skin, your bones and veins, your very soul, making you tremble and then collapsed next to the disgusting mess you made on the white floor.

You knew someone was talking, another someone fretting over your shaking body. A hand reached out to wipe your hair from your face and with a snarl you flung yourself away from the limb, the fear of the pain returning at any touch vivid and debilitating as you curled against the cupboards behind you.

“(-/N)-, (Y/N), (Y/N)!!”

You gasped, eyes shooting upwards, the panicked face of Papyrus above you forcing out a sob. You don’t know how, but you had flung yourself into his arms. You sobbed then, openly, the pain fading as the green tingly feeling enveloped you of Papyrus’ magic, and you shook. You shook so hard that Papyrus himself could barely hold on, rushing you toward what you could only assume was a couch.

You didn’t look up from Papyrus’ shirt for a long while, sobbing and clutching onto the tall skeleton, the scent of Tangerine and Tomato sauce comforting and warm. You cried, letting the pain fade at Papyrus mumbled encouragingly to you, his magic washing over your tense body.

\---

“How is she?”

It had been about an hour. Your shaking and sobbing had subsided, settling into an apathy and lethargy that kept you from moving out of Papyrus’ embrace. Somewhere along the line, you knew Blue had cleaned up after your arrival, and Papyrus’ soothing healing magic did help with relaxing.

Your mind, however, could not really keep up. The thoughts and confusion that filled your brain were quick to be subdued by the overwhelming feeling of not caring. You leaned against Papyrus, listening to his gentle tone whisper an answer to Sans, but you couldn’t really care enough to listen.

You just wanted to sleep…

And so you did.

\----

You awoke with a gasp, the blackness of sleep clinging to you, making you panic slightly that you found yourself back in that hell, that void of green.

“Shhhh, it’s alright, Starlight, it’s alright, ’m here, you’re OK.” Came the quiet reassuring sound of Sans’ baritone voice to your right.

You were laying in a bed, a soft light spilling from a half cracked open door, and Sans was laying next to you, propped up by several pillows and a notebook and pen discarded on his lap.

“W-What-“ you tried to speak, but your voice wouldn’t cooperate, so you settled for looking at Sans’ eyelights in the low light.

“Jus’ relax, Starlight, get some rest. Ya need It.” He coaxed you to lay your head down on the pillow, running his phalanges through your hair. The smell of thunder and rain was soothing and you pressed yourself closer to him.

Sleep claimed you again.

\----

A soft knock on the door rose you from your sleep. Soft sunlight filtered through the windows, golden and warm on the blanket, the feeling of comfort almost addictive.

You lay there, not wanting to get up, to face the day, to face this weird life you were having. You refused to think about it though, and snuggled further into the warm blankets. Sans lay next to you, an arm securely around your waist, some blue tinted drool slipping down his teeth and onto the pillow. You blushed at the intimate setting as you also refrained from laughing at the ridiculous sight. He looked tired, and you didn’t want to lose the odd soothing presence next to you.

Unfortunately, you were not one to make that decision, as another knock sounded, followed by the door opening fully.

Blue stood at the frame, a gentle smile on his teeth as he carried in a tray full of food and drinks. The scent of eggs and bacon wafted over to the bed, making Sans shift closer to being awake.

“Good Morning, Maiden. How Are You Feeling?” his usually boisterous tone was dampened and almost quiet to a gentle whisper. You shot him a smile, carefully disentangling yourself from Sans’ arms and sitting up.

“Much better. I’m not sure what happened yesterday. I’m sorry for puking on your floor though.” You whispered back, voice raspy and throat hurting for some reason.

“Don’t Worry About That, Maiden, I’m Just Happy To See You Are Alright.” He set the tray on the bedside table next to the bed, then sat himself down on the edge of the mattress.

“(Y/N), Sans Will Have A Talk With You Today, If You Wish For The Magnificent Sa-Blue To Remain For Backup, Just Let Me Know.” He patted your thigh over the blankets, a smile on his teeth before pointing at the food.

“And Papyrus Says To It All Of That!” he ordered, standing up and leaving you to your food.

You relaxed again, the soft sound of Sans snoring next to you, lulling you into a slight doze. The room was large, yet with very simple furnishing. A tall wardrobe faced the bed, the dark wood matching the similar wood of the wall molding behind it. Underneath the large arched window sill, a dark wooden desk with a comfortable looking armchair stood, framed by two very large bookshelves in a similar wood as the rest of the room. A soft white fluffy rug lay between the dark wooden bed and the table, the wooden floor shining warmly in the light. On the other side of the bed, a door lead to another room you could only guess to be a bathroom, if the tile you could see from the cracked door was any indication. A dresser stood next to the door with a large mirror hanging over it. Apart from the rug, the room itself had no décor. The walls looked bare above the molding, both the desk and the dresser had nothing on top of it and the sheets smelled washed and new. Probably a guest room, if you had to guess.

You looked back at Sans after inspecting the room, entranced at the way the light settled on his bones, casting him in a soft and gentle light. A surge of affection broke through the lethargy that wanted to establish itself again in your chest, your eyes going soft and body subconsciously leaning closer to him.

“If ya keep starin’ like that, Starlight, I might say something _cornea_.” Sans’ mumble broke you out of your thoughts, taking only a couple of seconds before the pun caught up with you.

With a sigh you rolled your eyes at him replying “You drive me _stare_ crazy, Sans.”

“Kiddo, pal, buddy… that really, really sucked.”

You snorted, hitting his shoulder gently as he sat up with a yawn, looking you over. Your stomach growled loudly in protest of its emptiness, making Sans jump. You looked at him, he looked at you. You both burst out laughing, the lethargy now well beaten and gone into the recesses of your mind.

“Breakfast?” he asked between chuckles, to which you nodded eagerly, settling the tray on your lap.

Sure…. Things sucked as off lately… but you had friends to help you through them. You would make it through this.

Breakfast was devoured quickly, Sans fighting you briefly for the last piece of toast which he ended up just biting into before you could, and orange juice to wash it all down. You felt better already with the food in your stomach, and felt even better as the door in the room proved to be a bathroom consisting of a toilet, a sink and a bidet.

When you exited the bathroom, Sans handed you a towel and some clothes (“Took a trip over t’ your place, scared the be _jess_ us out ‘a Jess, she gave me some of your clothes, and voila kid, here I am.”) and led you to the main bathroom down the hall, passing several doors on the way.

The bathroom itself was beautiful. All white tiles and walls, a huge bath tub with built in shower head and glass panes to keep the water in, a dark wooden cupboard with two very large sinks underneath a wall to wall mirror. The tub was in itself a temptation to just bathe in it, but you didn’t want to leave the skeletons waiting. So, after a quick, yet thorough, shower, you got dressed and ready, using the small bag of essentials Jess had stuffed into your clothes pile, bless that girl.

You felt refreshed, the sleep, food and the shower making you feel more at ease to face Sans. As much as you liked him, you knew that the conversation that was about to follow wasn’t one you were looking forward to.

\-----

“So let me get this straight… we teleported, or as you call it “shortcut”, which leads through a place called the void, which is not intrinsically part of the Multiverse space, but is its non-space?”

Sans looked at you patiently, sitting on the outside armchair while you sat on the garden couch, then nodded.

“And that’s where, uh, where the strings got latched to me? You say it’s a void, isn’t the void, like, well, black or something?” you questioned again, sitting further onto the couch cross legged, elbows on each knee.

“Yes and no, kid. The void is not here nor there, it’s an amalgamation of everything that exists and doesn’t. Past, present, future, it’s all a jumble in that area. You can consider it the nothingness that came before creation. But, yes, it should have been void of color, pardon the pun. And it seems that those strings made you get snagged in between the void at the universe.” He kept looking at you like you’d be upset, or angry, or fall apart. To be honest with yourself, you didn’t know how to feel.

“Alright, so we took a shortcut through the nothingness slash all-ness, and I got stuck?”

Sans rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable under you gaze. You could tell he really didn’t want to talk about it, but you didn’t know why. After all, this was to help both of you, right?

“Sans… I just want to know what’s going on with me. I’m tired of getting hurt. And if I know, maybe I can avoid the pain I keep putting myself through lately.”

He sighed, and his face settled into an expression of resolve, yet he remained silent, even though you knew he was just thinking.

The sun was rising above the mansions roof, because this could only be described as a mansion, casting the garden into the golden light of the late morning. Papyrus and Blue had gone for their morning jog and the orange stick had yet to be seen, though he was probably home, judging by Blues annoyed grumble of “lazybones”. The vegetable and fruit garden area toward the back had bright orange pumpkins growing across the front, some eggplant plants having obviously been picked recently behind them, still in the wooden cart laying close to the plot. The fruit trees growing at the furthest part of the plot created a barrier between the forest surrounding the mansion, and the actively well-maintained ground of the garden itself.

The other part of the garden consisted of a multitude of flowers and shrubs, a small pond with fish and frogs in the middle with a small stream flowing into it and a cute wooden bridge crossing the stream. The sound of the flowing water and the scent of the wisteria trees closer to the mansions’ walls was very calming, which you guessed is why Sans had chosen this specific spot, closer to the stream, for the conversation at hand.

“(Y/N), this is going to be confusing, but just hear me out and stop me if you need further explaining, ok?” his serious tone startled you out of your inspection of the garden, the lazy speech completely absent as he looked at you with tiny pinpricks for eyelights. You gulped nervously, then nodded.

“So, let me start by saying, I was sure my theory wasn’t correct, up until I tried to pull you through the void yesterday. This has never been seen before, at least, not that I’m aware of, and I’m not quite sure how exactly it happened, but I have my theories. So I hope you understand that, I was unaware of any of this. The first time you came in contact with these green strings was during your coma, right?” You nodded in reply, even though you barely remembered anything from when you were in a coma. You’d put the memory of doors and strings and vines down as a form of coma-induced nightmare, which you now realized, was a stupid thing to do, considering you’d been seeing flashes of green ever since.

“I think, (Y/N)… I think you died.” He was quick to continue at the shocked expression you made.

“But only temporarily. See when humans die, their soul shatters, but not instantly. A lot of times, the soul remains for a little longer before it breaks in two. It seems that these threads you’re seeing might be what is keeping you alive after the coma-“

“I don’t understand, if a heart shatters once you die, how did mine not shatter wh-when I d-d-ied…” you interjected, and Sans took your hand in his, giving you a supportive squeeze.

“I’m not quite sure. It seems your soul made it just long enough to find itself in the universe, or place, or area or plateau that would lead to the complete shattering of your being. Maybe the coma prolonged the process of shattering. What I do know, is that the delay of you actually passing on, allowed you to find the soul remnants from other yous from other universes-“

You held a hand up, rubbing your temple, confused out of your mind.

“So, in short, I didn’t die fast enough and because of that my soul didn’t shatter fast enough and it kept me in the in between?”

Sans nodded, grabbing the notepad and the pen you’d seen that morning from his hoodie.

“Yes, exactly. Both Stretch and I, we’ve been going through the full process, and we believe that the metaphysical composition of the souls energy output actually creates a wave of congruency between input and output, thus causing the soul to leave a trail of leftover ontological energy which leads from space to time and the interconnectivity of each category of being, considering the-“

“Sans! I have no clue what you just said. Please… just… take it easy on me, you’re the brains and I’m the brawn, ok?”

He grinned at you, an adorable blue blush on his skull that almost made this whole thing less horrible.

Almost.

“Sorry Starlight, let me try to explain in a way that makes more sense without the mathematical backbone-“ you held back a snort, as he continued

“- You see, your soul didn’t shatter right away. And if we take that fact into consideration, every soul has its own energy, or wave length. Like a fingerprint, every soul is unique and no two souls are the same. And that energy, like a fingerprint, leaves a trail. Energy, as you probably know, can only be modified and not destroyed, and everybody’s soul, human or monster, has it’s own energy at any given point. As a regular Monsters soul is made of magic and it composes a monsters entire being, when a monster dusts, they fully dust quickly as the magic changes and is absorbed by the magical flow of the, well, the universe. It’s a bit different for Boss Monsters. Anyways, humans don’t dust or shatter right away, persisting for a little bit before joining the… I’m not quite sure where human souls join, but the energy left of the soul also joins something.” He stopped for a breather, as you mulled over the information so far. It was a bit confusing to you, specially since even Sans seemed to not know all the answers which…. Well, it was understandable. Life and death was a very complicated topic.

“So, before the soul is dispersed, the soul itself leaves behind its own form of a trail of soul-energy. It’s not always something someone can actually track, but the closer it gets to the final hour of dispersion, the more the energy is released. Similar to how there seems to be a moment of lucidity before dying, or how one feels better before it get’s worse. Now unfortunately, I’m unsure and Stretch has his own theories about it, but it might be that instead of the trail being left behind, it actually is left… forward, and leaves a trail behind when it has passed on to after the death act.”

“What…? That makes no sense.” You interrupted again, eying the fish swimming lazily in the ponds water with some jealousy. Ah, to be a fish.

“Quite, even I had my confusion when Stretch explained his theory-“

“And you looked absolutely ridiculous, a _bone-fied_ idiot in a way.” The sound of someone elses voice joined the conversation and you watched as the Carrot took a drag of his cigarette, opposite hand stretched out for a shake.

“Name’s Stretch, honey. Pleasure.” He drawled lazily, honey eyelights looking you up and down. What the fuck? You thought.

“The fuck dude, I already met you before. In the car? The university? With Blue?” you hissed up at him, crossing your arms in front of yourself and pointedly ignoring the outstretched hand.

Stretch took a long look at you, eyesockets squinting slightly, before they went wide.

“Ah shit, that was you? List’n hun, I didn’t know it was you, my bad.” He dropped his hand, stuffing it into his pocket.

“And that gives you the right to be rude?” you scoffed as he shrugged.

“You want Vanilla’s explanation or nah, I can bug off again after ‘m done with my smokes.” He grumbled.

With a groan you nodded, waving at the place next to you on the couch. He might be an annoying grumpy orange peel, but he had answers, and you wanted them. Bad.

“Iight, so, basically when ya up and die, your soul goes through several changes. The biggest one is that it gets pulled into a plane of existence that knows no time, nor space. It’s similar to the void, in the way that it is and isn’t but, and here’s the kicker hun, while the void is everything and nothing, that other plane of existence ya float off ta when ya keel over, it’s a place of what was and no longer is, and what still is and will be. It’s the eye of the storm of time and existence. Past, present and future.” He took another long drag, flicking the ash into the flower bed next to the couch.

“It’s only a theory, but after what happened in my universe, along with Blue… I had a lot of years to think about it.”

“Years?”

“Years. We were above ground for around twelve to thirteen years before we got pulled.” The sharp hiss from Sans next to you, made you look at him questioningly.

“We’ve only been above for ten. It means their barrier broke before ours.” Sans explained, looking slightly dejected, yet Stretches scoff made you both turn back to him.

“Before, After, Now, Present, past… at that stuff, means nuthin’. You should know, ‘Nilla, with the RESETS and LOADING, just means that the timelines are all messed up. Coming through to this one, just proves it.” He stood, dropping the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it, yet you grabbed his sleeve before he could leave.

“I still don’t get-“

“Look, honey, your soul knew it was going to die. Every time you died, and I believe my universe and Vanilla’s here aren’t the only times you died, your soul knew it would die because it had already died, would die and was dying. Why you didn’t die, beats me. ‘Nilla thinks it’s cuz your soul is the green base, or a mix, who knows. Me? I think you just decided to be stubborn and not to die. But both Vanilla’s and my deduction say that you have wrapped your soul and yourself in the fading energy of your soul from other universes. And that soul-energy is still connected to the cause of your death. Which would be me and my brother. And since this universe seems to be the epicenter of chaos, and you so gracefully decided that you were too good for death, instead of you dying, the connection pulled us here, like damned fish reeled in by your hook. And here we are. Stretch, **_your murderer_** , _at your service_ , honey.” He sneered, sarcasm lacing his words as he bowed, then turned around and left.

He was angry… because you were the reason the brothers ended in this universe? Answers first, break down and anger later, you told yourself, fists clenched.

“Ok, so let me get this straight…. Again. Because death is timeless, my soul knew it was going to die, I got killed and started leaving a post-death soul energy trail to the place before death while I was in a coma, and because I didn’t die right away, I was able to save my soul by using all the leftover trail-energy-whatever to keep my own soul from shattering… and because it was connected to the cause of my death, it pulled Blue and the Carrot stick into this universe… Did I get that right?” you stood, pacing back and forth, rubbing your temples as Sans sat and watched you.

“I mean, when you put it like tha’, kid, it sounds far-fetched, but pretty much, yeah…”

You stared at him, looked down at your chest, back up at him then stared at the pond.

Then you laughed. It started as a chuckle, low in your stomach, a rumbling sound that grew into laughter, and then into full out cackles, stomach hurting from the laughter, tears in your eyes that were streaming down your face, while your hysterical laughter took the breath from you, leaving you almost manic.

 _How ridiculous was this?_ You laughed harder _. Other universes?_ You cackled, doubling over. _Brought them to this world?_ Your hitched in your laugh, breath getting stuck. _Your soul tied to other skeletons?_ You gasped, falling to your knees. _Your soul tied to your murderers?_ You held onto your head, pulling your hair as your body shook. _You dying over and over and over and-_ You sobbed, holding yourself in a curled ball of confusion and pain and anxiety.

You could barely understand Sans talking to you, in between the thoughts that clouded your mind.

You were just a normal human…

A normal human ...

Who had died…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has SO much dialogue... I hate dialogue because I suck at it.  
> BUT YAY! Finally, a full explanation fo what the heck is going on!  
> I loved seeing all the guesses. Congrats to TemaTomo who basically got it right :D  
> Which pair of brothers do you think will be pulled next? And which skelly is already here?  
> :D  
> Thank you all so much so far, for the kudos, the comments and the amazing support


	17. Out of the Frying Pan...

Jess sat on the bed, your hand in hers, as she read the latest novel she was interested in. It had been a tough day, the constant craving to just run away from all your problems and your less than ideal situation plaguing you, but the apathy that had overtaken you once again had left you tired.

Sans had been worried, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care too much. You wanted to blame him, blame Blue or Stretch, and if Stretch was right in his assumption, blame anyone else that had been responsible for your death across the universes, but in the end, you couldn’t find it in yourself to place blame on fate, chance or even accidents. What happened, had happened, and you knew that you had no control over any of it, and hopefully your death’s weren’t intentional. You would never lay blame on accidents or involuntary actions.

But that left you with a very open feeling of loss. Unable to place blame on anyone or anything, and without feeling in control of your own fate, you faced the realization of your own mortality. Worse, of your joined mortality across several universes.

So, instead of being angry and upset, you had just given up the struggle, letting the odd calm of the knowledge that nothing you did mattered, consume you. Jess had pressed you to go to therapy, the onset of depression only too familiar to her, the lack of interest in even the garden or your friend and your lack of appetite a plain indicator that, yes, the events since you first woke up had led you down a spiral that settled heavy and empty on your chest.

Sans however, didn’t let that stop him from checking on you. He would often come into the room you inhabited in his Mansion and ask about your well-being. Although distance from the entire mess had been preferable, Jess had adamantly insisted you remain with them due to the less than ideal situation at the apartment which was currently unfolding. You didn’t know what she was referring to, and you really couldn’t care to ask. Here or there, it didn’t make a difference to the inevitability of your fate.

Would you die here as well? Would one of them kill you? Would Stretch get revenge and slit your throat while you slept? Did it really matter? Did you matter?

You curled yourself around Jess, her comforting scent of clean clothes and her trademark hyacinth perfume relaxing in its familiarity. She smiled down at you, setting the book to the side and rubbing your back gently.

“How are you feeling today, pumpkin?” her usually lively voice was muted. She looked as tired as you felt and you could tell she desperately wanted to get some sleep. A pang of guilt struck through your chest, before the lethargy swept it away again.

“Like nothing I do will matter, Jess.” You muttered, then pressed your face against her stomach as you hugged her midriff.

She sighed, bending down to place a gentle kiss on your shoulder. “I know, (Y/N), I know it’s hard and it feels like nothing matters, but I promise it gets better. I’m not sure about what you and the guys discussed, but whatever it is, we can find a solution and you’re not alone in this, OK?”

You looked up at her, her eyes teary and you could almost feel her concern for you shining through her chest. Your lethargy lifted slightly at the affection in her eyes.

\---

“How did you deal with it? When your parents died and Erik left you, I remember how destroyed you where and how I tried to pull you out of your mind… how… how did you deal with so much at the same time?”

Another day had passed. You sat in your pajamas, as Jess worked away at the laptop, feeling gross and guilty at bringing up the memory to your friend, but somehow you knew she would never blame you for asking for help…

She sighed, settling down to join you on the bed you hadn’t left for four whole days, save to use the restroom, and you settled yourself to lay your head on her knee.

“It wasn’t easy…” came her reply after a couple of seconds of silence. “I did lose everything I had known, well, most everything. Home, most of my friends, my family… and I did feel like nothing was worth it at all… like nothing I did would matter… I don’t think I’ve ever felt lost like that again. But it did eventually get better. I let myself cry. That’s what dad had told me to do when granna died. He had told me back then that it wasn’t my fault and it was ok to feel sad and to cry. So, I let myself cry and let myself feel lost. But I knew I wasn’t alone. I cried, and I was angry, but I had to force myself to let people in. I had friends and people to help me through it.” She squeezed your shoulder at that last part earning her a grunt of confirmation.

“Do you remember picking me up every day from the graveyard? Or when I’d call you when I was drunk and needed you. Or how you had me move in with you for those three months, without rent mind you. Or even taking over the funeral preparations for me, making sure my asshole family stayed away from me?” she muttered, giving you a hug so tight your breath was squeezed out of you “You are the kindest person I know. And I love you with every fiber and atom of my being, (Y/N). You’re my sister, my family, my best friend… and having someone who cares about you, even in the slightest, helps with the pain. I am… really lucky to have you in my life like that.” Her gaze met yours, eyes almost glassy as she remembered your shared past.

“You helped me too, Jess. When that guy-, uh, when that thing happened, and you took me to every medical appointment I had-”

“Don’t get me started, (Y/N), this isn’t a competition of who helped whom more.” She interjected with a laugh, shaking you by your shoulder. “I’m just saying, I made it through because I had people who cared. I wasn’t alone. Ryan helped me see how beautiful the world could be again too, after the initial shock faded. And Ari was… well, she was just Ari.” She said with a laugh, which you shared at the thought of your shared airheaded friend that could almost always be found face planting into the floor. “What I mean to say is, I wasn’t alone, and I didn’t go through any of it alone. And you don’t have to, either. Sans and Paps, they’re here to help, they want to help. And so do I. It’s ok to feel lost and it’s ok to cry and feel sad, but just know you won’t go through any of it alone.”

She paused.

“Oh, and I got a fuck ton of Therapy.”

Jess squeezed you again, before grabbing her Laptop and heading out for some coffee.

You took the rest of the morning to think about what she had said, but knew she was right. Maybe you weren’t in control, and maybe shit sucked and maybe you would die, but didn’t everyone? You could give in to this feeling and close yourself forever, or you could go down there, face Sans and Blue, and even the Carrot Loser himself, and maybe figure all this shit out. So, you waited for Jess to return.

Your chat with Jess really had sparked a sense of resolve within you. With great effort, and a lot of help from your blonde friend, you got up and selected a fresh pair of clothes to change out of the pajamas you had been wearing for days now. You smelled and felt gross, so in order of priority you decided to relieve yourself, take a long shower, procure some food and then discuss with Sans where to go from there. It took a lot more effort to get yourself down the hall and into the main bathroom, Jess following along and chattering all the while. Privacy between the both of you had long been lost, along the shared experiences you had with your best friend, so when she sat down on the toilet seat, still recounting the last date with Ryan she had had, you flung the towel you’d been given over the glass door, blocking you from view and undressed inside the shower. Jess laughed, making grabby hands over the top of the shower stall, and you gratefully handed her your clothes to put in the wash.

You could hear her footsteps retreat towards the stairs, before stopping and then Papyrus’ loud voice asking something you couldn’t make out through the rush of water. He sounded excited as he replied, which made your smile appear underneath the pelting drops.

Speaking of water, the warm spray, hitting your face and shoulders, felt like a cleansing ritual was being performed on both body and mind. The warmth trickled down your shoulders, caressed your arms and wiped away both grime and helplessness. It left you with a feeling of both resolve and acceptance, that chased away the cold feeling of apathy. It seeped the tension out of you, wiping away any leftover tears before new ones came rushing.

 _It was OK to cry_ , you told yourself. And while you showered, you let the tears flow. You didn’t sob, and you didn’t feel like your mind was breaking apart, or empty. You felt relief as the tears took with them the confusion, doubt and vulnerability from the last two months.

 _It was OK to cry, you weren’t alone, you’d make it through this,_ you repeated it like a mantra as you washed your greasy hair, and scrubbed your skin clean.

And finally, for the first time in days or even weeks, you actually felt like that would be the truth.

\-----

“YOU LOOK MUCH BETTER, MAIDEN, ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?”

You accepted the plate of pancakes and blueberries that Blue handed you, a small smile playing at your lips as you eyed the cute baby blue apron he was sporting. The pancakes looked slightly burned but looked edible enough. The huge bowl of cold blueberries you carried to the dining table, however, made your mouth water. They were large and plump and firm, the condensation of them warming up, having been taken from the fridge just moments ago, made you un-rationally want to stick your face into the bowl, mouth open.

“I’m feeling tons better, thank you Blue.” You replied over your shoulder as you made your way out of the kitchen and into the living room/ dining room. You took stock of the large fireplace with the TV hanging over it on the left of the very, very, very large room, a staircase leading up in front of the kitchen and another stair case at the furthest left corner of the living room.

You walked towards the dining table, setting the food on it, noticing that someone had already set out plates, orange juice and a hell ton of coffee. You giggled at the two large pots of coffee, the mountain of sugar and cream and for some reason, ketchup and honey.

Just as you set down the plates, Stretch walked downstairs, and for a brief moment his eyelights met your (E/C) gaze. He frowned, sticking both his hands into his hoodie and headed outside without a word.

What a grade A assh-

“GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE! I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU UP AND ABOUT! OF COURSE, YOU WOULD BE! YOU PROBABLY MISSED YOUR GREATEST OF FRIENDS, PAPYRUS, RIGHT? OF COURSE, THE MOST POPULAR OF PASTA-CONNOISEURS, I, THE GRRREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HAVE YOU FEEL GREAT IN NO TIME! NYEH!”

Papyrus’ booming voice made you jump and whirl around in surprise, giggling at the absolutely adorable sight of him striking a pose, a breeze catching his scarf and making it wave behind him dramatically.

“Hello Paps, of course I missed you! Sorry I was such a bad guest the last few days, but I wanted you to know, I will do my best to get better.”

He smiled at you, gently, his posture softening.

“You Will Never Be A Bad Guest In This House. Even At Your Worst, You’re Still The Kindest, Nicest, Sweetest, Prettiest- I MEAN, HUMAN, YOU’RE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE, YES EXACTLY!” you did catch his blush, reflecting on your cheeks was your own blush that Papyrus didn’t catch as he strode off into the kitchen. Jess in the mean time joined you, hair still wet from her own shower, urging you to sit.

As she sat, Stretch came in smelling of smoke, sitting on the other side of the table furthest from you, closely followed by Sans who brightened up considerably when his eyelights fell on your form.

“Starlight, you’re up! Was getting worried for ya, kid.” He slouched over to you. He grabbed your chin, lifting your face to meet his gaze as he inspected you, before releasing with a pleased nod. “Seems you’re doing better, huh? Was hoping you would be, tibia honest, but you know I’ve always got your spine, I mean back.” He winked, drawing a groan from the kitchen as Papyrus caught his brothers puns.

“SANS! NOT THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING, BROTHER!” he shouted, sticking his skull around the corner as he said that, drawing another chuckle from you.

“You guys’ dynamic is the cutest I’ve ever seen, and I had the pleasure of seeing Jess’ puppy with his sister.”

“Are you comparing us to dogs?” came the snarky reply from the orange grump-stick, who had been suspiciously quiet up to that point.

You floundered as Jess shot him a confused look.

“N-no! Of course n-not! I was j-just saying that it’s cute a-and swe-et... I-I” You babbled, as Sans chuckled, petting your head affectionately.

“Nah, don’t worry Starlight, his bark is worse than his bite, and if he bothers you too bad, I can put ‘im in the dog house.” He took his seat next to you, the groan from both Papyrus and Blue in the kitchen clearly audible over your and Jess’ laughter. You purposefully ignored Stretch’s flush and angered glare.

Who cares if you didn’t have full control over your life, and fate kept tugging you down. You had good friends, a roof over your head, a job you loved and maybe something more with the skeleton who had reached underneath the table and held your hand.

You would be OK.

\-------

You were not OK.

An uncomfortable itch has started on your hip, like a needle was poking into your side, the pain uncomfortable to start with, but getting more annoying the more time went on. You sat between Blue and Sans, Stretch having left to the basement to do stars knows what, an angered glare aimed at you momentarily before he was gone.

You shifted on the couch, trying to get the stabbing feeling to subside. Papyrus has left the two shorter skeletons in order to go into the garden, muttering about Stretch’s cigarette buds ruining the flowers him, Blue and the occasional Vegetoid gardener “Mark” tended to and paid for. You scratched at the itch, pressing into your soft side trying to make it subside, but the feeling just got more intense.

“Kid, ‘re you ok?” Sans tore his sockets from the documentary you had recommended you should watch (Sosmoc: Space Time Odyssey), and Blue quickly paused, the picture of Teil Nyson in the wheat field frozen on the screen.

“I just, ergh, something is poking me, or bit me or something, just weird itchy burning feeling. Can you take a look?” you asked turning slightly to give Sans room to push your shirt up just enough to be able to see where you were pointing. Blue watched you carefully as you were now facing him, his amused smile quick to drop as he spotted Sans’ expression.

“ARE YOU OK, ‘NILLA? IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH OUR HUMAN?” he questioned, as Sans quickly stood.

“J-just stay right here, alright? I n-need to go get Stretch.” And he disappeared in a cloud of the scent of thunder.

“MAY I LOOK, MAIDEN? PERHAPS THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE.” Blue questioned, and you gave him a nod that quickly turned into a wince as a particularly strong pain pierced your side, then subsided again.

“Y-yeah, go ahead blue, I’m fine with you taking a look.” You replied with a hopefully even voice, as the itch returned.

Blue stood, moving to the seat Sans had previously inhabited and lifted your shirt at the same time as Sans and Stretch appeared behind the couch.

Stretch looked over his brothers shoulder to take a look and you grumbled, but fell quiet as Blue traced your skin.

“When did this start, (Y/N)?” Stretch rushed to the front of you, looking at you with wide eyes and confusion.

“A-an hour a-ag-OOOOOOooo-“ you groaned as another particular strong jab made you bend sideways reflexively. “W-what-“

“Room, NOW. Stretch, get Paps. Meet me upstairs!” Sans snapped, nodding as Blue picked you up as if you weighed nothing, then disappeared again. Stretch gave you a last look, a deep frown on his skull, before he too just disappeared as Blue rushed to…. Wherever.

“W-what is going on, Blue, what is ther- AH!” you flailed shortly, the pain now stronger, as if something was trying to claw its way out as well as slice its way in, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived.

“DON’T MOVE TOO MUCH, FRIEND-“ he shot you a concerned glance as he rushed down the hall, finally opening a door to what looked like a stone walled living room “-BUT IF SANS ASKED ME TO TAKE YOU HERE, THEN HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT AFTER ALL.” He finished and sat you on the stool close to the fireplace.

“YOUR WORDS ARE GLOWING GREEEN, MAIDEN.” He added, pulling the shirt up again, just as Sans walked into the room, holding food, water and a bag full of things you couldn’t see. Stretch and Pap followed right behind him, closing the door as they entered and, you noticed with a pang of fear and as the pain started building, locked it with a soft ‘click’.

You looked around, noticing the huge mirror that covered the opposite wall of the fireplace, before doubling over.

The pain grabbed you, took you by the shoulders and shook you, bursting out of your side and enveloping your sight in green. White spots danced across your vision at the intense pain that radiated through your side, clawing its way up your chest and erupted from it. The overwhelming scent of leather and cloves enveloped you, while the agony and the green light faded as quick as it game, leaving you gasping and breathless slumped over against Blue’s chest.

“Who The Heck Are You And Where Have You Seized Us To?! I _Demand_ An Answer!”

… What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fought hard with this chapter. Really hard. And I'm still not happy with it! But alas, I couldn't bring myself to rewrite it again for the fifth time, so, here we are. A jumbled mess.
> 
> But heh, FINALLY, who else has joined the party???
> 
> On another note: over 200 kuddos??? I don't know what to say, it warms my heart that anyone even enjoys this fic. I love all your comments, and they push me to not give up when times are tough.  
> <3


	18. ... And Into The Fire

“Who In The Queens Name Are You And Where Have You Seized Us To?! I Demand An Answer, Right This Instant!”

There was only a second of astonished silence, before the heavy scent of rain, honey, leather and clove filled the room nauseatingly, several bones piercing out of the carpeted floor in varying shades of red, orange and the distinct color of blue you associated with Sans. Blue pulled you up in a hurry as stray bone attacks were flung into your direction, narrowly missing your ear, and pushed the both of you in a tumble out of the room. Papyrus had unlocked it again just moments before, without your knowledge, as he too followed the both of you out and re-locking the door behind himself. There was a loud cry, the scent of nicotine laced honey permeating underneath the door, which was then quickly washed out by a lightning of bright blue and rain, and the room fell quiet as quickly as the scent of leather and clove disappeared. You stared dumbfounded at the door, Papyrus rushing down the hall which you only paid half a mind to.

What the fuck had just happened? Was Sans ok? Was he hurt? Maybe you should rush in, make sure he’s alright, maybe you could help-

Blue ran his glove covered phalanges over your arms and sides, pulling you from the edge of panic, proceeding to take your face into them and turning your gaze into his direction.

“W-what was… what j-just…” you couldn’t bring yourself to talk, shock more than visible in the way you shook, directly in contradiction to Blues own resolved and calm expression.

“Another Pair Of Brothers Was Pulled Into This Universe. Are You Alright, Maiden? Are You Hurt?”

“N-no, I’m o-ok, but...”

„That’s Good. We Need To Find Vanilla Then. If Everything Went According To Plan, He Should Be In The Library.” And just like that he helped you stand, walking briskly ahead of you. Your legs felt like jelly, so you were grateful for the hand Blue was still holding onto, as he guided you down the hall to the only door that proudly stood tall on the right.

The door opened, the sight of Stretch standing there, a large crack on his left eyesocket and leading over his skull making you gasp in surprise. Blue let go of your hand to rush toward his brother.

“PAPY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? I CAN HEAL YOU! I KNEW WE SHOULD TRAIN MORE, LET ME HEAL THAT FOR YOU, LETS GET-“ Blue was fretting over Stretch, just as much as Stretch was over Blue, looking each other over and making sure they were alright. Over Stretch’s shoulder you could see Papyrus doing the same to Sans, filling you with a sense of relief at Sans’ wellbeing. He met your gaze with his own relieved expression, the frown over his sockets smoothing over into the smooth bone you were used to. You followed the brothers in, trying to even your breath out.

What had just happened? Blue had said that more brothers had arrived, but if that was the case, where were they? And how did they get into that room? And why that room specifically? And if they could come, did that mean more would also-

Papyrus interrupted your train of thoughts, as he pulled you closer to the table Sans was sitting on, with a relieved smile “(Y/N)! OH THANK THE STARS YOU’RE ALRIGHT, HUMAN FRIEND! I’M SURE YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, AND I’M SURE MY BROTHER HERE HAS ANSWERS, IS THAT NOT SO, SANS?”

Stretch came to join the shorter skeleton on the table, Blue still fussing around him, but stepped out of Papyrus’ way, who was tilting Stretch’s skull to face the taller skeleton. The aroma of Tangerine thickened in the air as Stretch’s socket began to heal, radiating from where Papyrus hovered his phalanges over. How fascinating!

“yea’, bro, course I will. you good though, kid?” Sans added the last question quietly, as he pulled you closer to him, wrapping you in a hug. His nasal cavity pressed against the top of your head, into your hair, and you responded by wrapping your own arms around his chest and squeezing him to reassure yourself he was, in fact, alright.

“Yeah, a bit confused, but I’m ok. What happened? Blue said more brothers are here… is that-“ your question was cut short as Stretch growled from next to you, the crack almost fully gone.

“Ya brought another fuckin’ pair here, another pair of brothers that were perfectly fine where they were, and ya own fuck-up ripped ‘em from their own world and life, all because you and ya selfish sense of stubbornness couldn’t do what ya were meant to do, and stayed the fuck away. You disgusting humans always meddling with-“

“ENOUGH!” Sans finality was very obvious in his tone, his phalanges digging into your back slightly, almost painfully, and you could sense his anger through the way his bones rattled against you. The scent of thunder filled the room, drowning out the sickly sweet scent of honey you had only just noticed.

“’Nilla, I know you want to keep it, but-“

You stumbled forward against the table as Sans had disappeared from your hug, standing in front of Stretch, eyelights extinguished and the aura around him deathly still.

“Stretch, buddy, pal, I would watch the way you address Starlight. you killed her before but I will give you a **b a d t i m e** if you even come close to harming her again. deal with your guilt another way, smokestack, or get the fuck out of the house.”

The silence that followed was almost deafening, Stretch’s eyelights darting from Sans to you, and back to Sans. A blue glow seemed to be enveloping the orange douchebag, which slowly dissipated as Sans eyelights returned.

“Fine, I’m leaving if you want to keep that thing in the house. Sans pack your-“

“No.” came the curt reply from Blue as he stood next to Papyrus behind Sans.

“H-how about we calm-“ you started, just to flinch back as Stretch rounded on you, Sans quick to extinguish his eyelights again. You put a hand on his hoodie, making him breathe in slowly to regain his composure.

“No, I ain’t ‘bout to calm down. You have no idea how Sans and I were left after ya died. Your stubborn, selfish self just had to go and manipulate my brother into liking and befriending a weak waste of a soul, to use him to rid your selfish self from your own rotten existence! And because of you, Sans got EXP and LOVE. And just when we were getting better, I was finally getting out of the house and used to everything, we’re whisked away, and now yer doing the same damn thing to someone else!“ He glowered at you, Sans standing between the both of you protectively.

Honestly, you had enough of this fired up carrot with a stick up his arse.

“Stretch, I don’t want this either. I’m glad I met Blue, but you think _I wanted to die_?! I didn’t even survive on purpose, how was I to know it would have such a huge impact? And you killed _me_! Do you really think I did all of that on purpose? I’m not sure if this is just your guilt talking, but how about instead of throwing blame around, you help us, all of us, to figure it out. Maybe we can find a way to send you back, how about that, you unripe, sour, salty orange wedge!?” you snapped, so done with his shit, the anger starting to build like hot lava in your stomach and you could feel yourself almost vibrating with frustration.

Stretch parted his teeth to say reply, but a loud ‘thunk’ and the sound of breaking wood from down the hall cut him off. Thank the Stars.

“I think we should go check on our guests.” Sans broke the tense silence, staring Stretch down who, with a glare your way, disappeared with the scent of Honey. Sans ran a hand over the back of his skull, throwing you a sheepish smile, before he walked out of the door. Blue stood, nervously fidgeting and avoiding your gaze, before he mumbled a “Sorry” and sprinted after Sans.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself, the silence enveloping you heavily.

“Are You Alright Sunshine?” Papyrus asked, and you shook your head with a sigh.

“I just don’t know what I did for him to be so angry at me. And now I’m just confused about everything… again.” You rubbed your temples to ease the frustrated tension, while Papyrus took a seat on the chair in front of you. He pulled you onto his lap, sideways, and hugged you close to him. For him being made out of all bones, he was strangely comfortable, and although you’d usually complain about sitting on anyone, or the awkward position, you soaked in his affection and comfort after the recent developments.

“Don’t Worry About Stretch, Sunshine. Even I, For As Great As I Am, Can Only Imagine How He Feels To Be Faced With Someone He Feels So Guilty For Killing. Sans Was Angry Too, You Know? When You Were In A Coma. He Was Very Angry, Thinking He Had Ruined Monster Peace. He Won’t Ever Admit It, But After You Woke Up, He One Day Just Returned From The Hospital Looking Better Than He Had Since The Shooting. And I, For Once, Felt Much More Relieved As Well, For Having Earned Your Forgiveness… Even Though The Great Papyrus Would Never Be Angry At You, Human, Nyeh!”

You stared at him for a couple of seconds, thoughts racing in your head, trying to come to terms with it all, but all you could think about at that moment was how absolutely sweet and caring this Skeleton was. He was always ready to comfort you, to explain things where he could, and keep you safe… and how handsome Papyrus looked, how understanding he was, how he hid how smart he was behind a more childish façade and how warm his embrace felt. It hit you again, how you had only known the brothers for so little time, but how the affection you felt for them had grown to insurmountable proportions. You tried telling yourself it wasn’t the time, nor place, for such thoughts. You had a fight with Stretch, two new brothers where doing stars knows what, and you still felt the guilt linger for being the cause of all this mess.

But your brain refuse to ignore the feeling of Papyrus phalanges on your back, nor the way he was so warm, or the way he made you feel safe in his arms.

And that wave of affection you felt for him made you smile at him, eyes squinting slightly as you reveled in the safety of his embrace. His zygomatic bones flushed a lovely shade of orange, his eyelights looking from your eyes, to your lips, before he leaned in.

“Sunshine, may I-“

“Yes.” You whispered quickly, as if it was the only reply you could have ever given him. He took your lips in a kiss. It was slow and deliberate, the affection and care transmitted from the simple kiss, almost innocent in its intent, a relief to your troubled mind and soul, confirming that no matter what, you had people to count on. To help you. And to help in return. He moved with slow intent, pulling you slightly closer and tighter against him, leisurely moving the kiss at his own pace, reminding you of lazy early Sunday mornings. And though the intensity was still there, the kiss was so different from Sans’, an almost tingly feeling of-

Fuck… Sans.

You pulled back with a gasp, eyes shooting open wide as you looked at Papyrus with panic.

“Shit, Paps, I’m- oh shit, I’m sorry I shouldn’t I shouldn’t have, not when I kissed Sans, oh stars, what will you think of me, and Sans as well, and I-“ you were interrupted again, as Papyrus grabbed your cheeks and pressed another kiss to your lips, all thoughts and worries being wiped away by the tingly feeling of his tongue on your bottom lip. You opened your lips slightly, curious and yearning for it to battle with your tongue, mind hazy at the taste of Tangerine and Tomato Sauce that invaded your senses, leaving you slightly dizzy.

He finally pulled back, leaving you gasping for air, his eyelights blown out and fuzzy, his skull flushed in orange.

“I-“

“(Y/N)!” Blue barged into the room, looking between your flushed face, kiss bruised lips and Papyrus’ own flush as he still held you on his lap.

“Am I Interrupting, Maiden?” he asked with a knowing smirk, and you flushed even brighter, hiding your face in Papyrus’ scarf in embarrassment.

“HELLO BLUE! DID MY LAZY BROTHER GET THE ROOM READY FOR SUNSHINE YET?” Papyrus asked as if nothing had happened, but the wide grin on both his and Blues face said it all.

You silently pleaded for the ground to swallow you and your bright red face whole.

\---

You sat on a comfortable couch, several seats gathered and facing the large mirror in the room. Behind you stood Papyrus, running his Phalanges through your hair. Stretch sat on the seat furthest from you, a glare aimed at Blue who was trying to talk to his brother.

Sans, sitting next to you, tired as per usual, was scribbling something on his notepad, occasionally scratching out whatever he had just written and writing down something else instead.

You really missed Jess to comfort you in these awkward situations, but you were determined to figure out why they had escorted you to this room in particular as well as focused on not letting the kiss with Papyrus sidetrack you.

“So, you’re saying that the brothers, the new brothers, are on the other side of this mirror?” you confirmed Sans’ earlier short comment, wincing slightly as Paps found a knot and began to untangle it.

“yup, I built that room to reflect the one in the basement. it’s got magic inhibitors which limits itself to magic without a definite form outside of it’s casing, it’s- basically, they can’t get out of that room, and we can’t exactly get in, save from the opening to the left.” Sans explained, again, pointing the chewed pen at the right corner of the mirror nonchalantly.

“And why can’t we see them, ‘Nilla? Scared?” came Stretchs hissing question, to which Sans merely lifted an eyebrow.

“let them calm down before we introduce ourselves, huh, bud? give ‘em the _room_ to breathe, cool?” he said, and even though he seemed to be relaxed, you could tell from the slight twitch of his eyelights that he himself was frustrated at Stretch too.

Stretch glared, his normally drooping lazy eyesockets narrowed in displeasure, causing Sans to roll his own in reply.

“fine, chimney, no need to get so _fired up_ , eh?” the fact that Paps didn’t groan at the pun, nor berate his brother for it, bespoke of the tense feeling in the room. As Sans looked back at the mirror, the surface of it suddenly turned glassy, revealing the room Blue had taken you to initially.

Your eyes immediately fell on the pair standing on the other side of the room, a weird sense of familiarity washing over you before it was swept away again. The brothers hadn’t noticed your group yet, being turned towards the rows upon rows of books alongside the window. The tallest one wore a black jacket or a hoodie, you couldn’t quite tell from your angle, trimmed with off-white fur which almost looked yellow. The other skeleton was significantly shorter, maybe an inch or so taller than Blue had they been standing side by side. He had a red cape which hung over an ensemble of black clothes you could only guess at, based on the black pants he was wearing and… where those _heeled_ boots?

Just as you were about to say something, the pair stiffened, spines straight and giving off the impression of definite danger. Sans next to you, as if sensing the same, gave your thigh a reassuring squeeze as you watched the taller skeleton slowly turn around. You noticed that he stood slightly in front of the shorter one protectively. And then he met your eyes.

The emotions that swarmed over you like a tidal wave were all a jumble. They, however, forced you to lurch up, to stumble towards the brothers, and you couldn’t place what had overcome you to feel this urge to be in their presence. You wanted to hug the taller one, kiss the shorter one, embrace them and keep them safe, wanted to cry out, cry with them, scream at the pain and laugh at the utter joy. You barely noticed the way Stretch had rushed forward, along with Blue, to wrap his hooded arms around your middle, keeping you secure in his hold. The taller one rushed towards the see-through mirror and started banging on it, yelling for something which you couldn’t hear through the blood rushing in your ears. A bright green thread was clearly visible now to you, the thick chords weaving around you, around the room, through the window, branching out and straight into the skeletons in the rooms’ chest.

“Dutchess! Dutchess! Please! How- how are you! Are we dead? Are we dreaming? M’Lord, Dutchess, she’s, she’s here, she’s alive, she’s-“

The other skeleton, Milord you assumed, hissed, posture tense and shaking, if in anger or fear you couldn’t tell, but the emotion quite obviously being barely restrained.

“Mutt! Heel! Now! They Have Obviously Used Our Weakness Against Us! I Don’t Know How They Could Have Known, But Dutchess Is Dead. And You Know This As Well As I Do. Don’t Let Them Get Into That Waste Of A Skull Of Yours With Their Conniving Manipulations, You Mongrel.” 

The taller one, Mutt, stopped banging on the mirror, eyelights blown wide and wavering around the edges, his breathing heavy and fast as he held your gaze, as if you’d disappear at any second. And as he started to calm down, the impossible urge to run to the two strangers you didn’t know faded with it, causing you to slump forward slightly as you realized you were holding your breath.

“ARE YOU OK, MAIDEN?” came Blues question, at the same time as you noticed you were now hanging onto Stretch who had been the closest to the mirror. With a gasp you quickly let go of his orange hoodie, causing the Sour Carrot Stick to frown at you, who then joined Sans and Papyrus who were trying to communicate with the new duo.

“I… yeah, I don’t know what happened. It was like I couldn’t control what I wanted or how I felt, and then this-“ you waved at the thread that was still glowing brightly, but fading slightly as you talked “-appeared out of nowhere. But I’m not sure what it is.”

Blue looked at the space where you had waved at, squinting his eyesockets, then took a closer look at you. His eyelights went wide.

“VANILLA! LOOK!” he called, causing the other five to turn around and look at you.

“what is i-… oh… wow…”

“ELOQUENT, AS ALWAYS, BROTHER!”

“Sorry Paps, but ya can’t see it as vividly as I can… just… take a closer look at our human over there …” Sans almost whispered as he approached you, careful to avoid touching the fading thread, and you looked up at Papyrus to see he, too, was staring at you, dumbfounded.

“starlight, that green light… you’ve seen it before, right? that’s what pulled the brothers here. and it’s… you’re covered in it…” Sans sounded breathless, moving closer to you and you finally looked down at yourself, confused at the others reactions, only to gasp.

Your hands and arms, and from what you could tell, your chest and probably your entire body, had a slight shimmer to it. It seemed to lack the unhealthy green you had come to associate with the light you had seen in the teleport, but more of a shimmer of different colors of green. Forest green, lime, teal, pine green, shamrock and olive being but a few of the intertwining colors of light that seemed to surround you, some in thicker strands, others in thin strands barely thicker than a breadth of hair. You ran a hand over one of the strands, noting how you couldn’t quite touch it as much as you could want to touch it, awe and confusion fresh on your mind. You felt a strange tug following the strand you had touched. You couldn’t quite see each strand or where it went as they all radiated outwards from you, creating an effect like that of an aurora borealis… all safe for one, which was the same one that you knew was connected to the brothers in the locked room.

Milord finally turned around and you could finally see his face, taking note of the three deep scars on his eyesocket, the sharp looking teeth and the way his gaze bore into you in a way that it felt he knew everything about you.

“What Kind Of Plan Is This? I Demand You Release Us IMMEDIATELY! This Is No Way To Treat Your Superior, Much Less The Magnificent Captain Sans. And Why Are There So Many Of…” he trailed off as he looked around, Mutt seemingly communicating with him wordlessly as they met each other’s gazes after a couple of second.

“Yeah, welcome ta’ new universe, tiny.”

Could Stretch please stop antagonizing anyone he doesn’t know, goddammit?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm running into a bit of writers block lately due to the stress in real life and my upcoming vacations to visit my family. I don't dislike planes, but I'm very worried due to this who covid thing and am working with airline and my embassy to try and we as safe as possible.  
> So if you notice a slower update rate on this, don't fret, I haven't abandoned it. I promise.


	19. Home Sickness

You really wanted to go home.

You really, _really_ wanted to go home.

You had planned to come for dinner at the skeletons place, which felt like months ago, have some good food, enjoy the company of some of your friends AND THEN GO HOME. A simple, in, out. Arrive, eat, leave. And yet, here you were, serving dinner on a tray for two, while Sans sat at the kitchen Isle, skull in his hands, obviously snoozing away and Jess pacing back and forth as she eyed you suspiciously.

“So, you’re staying here?”

You looked up from the tray, to frown at Jess who had come to a standstill behind the kitchen Isle. This was the third time she had asked for you to confirm, and it really was starting to bother you.

“Yeah, at least, for the time being.” You nodded, taking a quick look to see that Sans was still sleeping, then returned to your task. You couldn’t really be mad at Jess. It was a sudden decision after all.

“And you want me to stay in your apartment, take care of your plants and help you move some of your stuff here…”

You sighed, putting the tray with the soup, chicken pot pies and apple slices on the counter where you had cleaned the cooking mess you had made earlier. You were quite proud they had come out so well, specially with it being made with magic food and watersausage instead of regular chicken.

“I mean, again, yeah, if you could? I just think that some of the issues I’m having would be best to be taken care of around Sans. Not to mention that you’d be living closer to your job as well as out of your parents’ house for a while.”

“And this is not because you guys are dating?”

You spluttered, glaring at the teasing glint in her eye as your blonde obnoxious friend smirked, and you flushed a deep red. It didn’t help that Sans was literally feet away from you, nor that the thought of spending alone time with him and Papyrus did sound appealing.

“W-We’re not dating, Jess. It’s… complicated.” You finished, weakly, then shot another glance at Sans, who had turned his skull the other way, fortunately still asleep.

“Ohhhhh, but you wanna~” Jess said in a sing song and you were quick to shush her.

“Just, will you help me or nah, you absolute banana.” You hissed, turning around so Jess couldn’t see just how bright red your face had turned.

“Sure, but, remind me why you need me to do these things again?~” she teased, and with a groan you picked up the tray, throwing a slice of apple at her head which bounced off her shoulder and landed on Sans’ skull, who snorted and blinked his weird bone eyelids as he woke. Giggling you moved out of the kitchen, leaving a laughing Jess behind at the Isle to finally eat the food you had made her.

The house was eerily quiet once you left the kitchen. Blue and Papyrus had left the house over an hour ago to buy groceries and Stretch was being his grouchy self somewhere else, after his long conversation with Sans and the new arrivals. Speaking of the new arrivals, you really didn’t want to enter that room again. After arriving the previous day, and Sans ensuring that you were OK, you had left the room behind with Papyrus in tow. You didn’t want to deal with all of that. At least, not yet. You felt like you might fall apart all over again if you had put yourself though more yesterday, after finally trying to bring yourself out of the depression that was currently looming over your head. It had been Papyrus, actually, who had convinced you into staying at their place until you all found a solution to this holy mess, you remembered, a slight flush returning to your cheeks. And his argument had been, after all, quite sound. You didn’t really want to face any new issues on your own, and to be frank with yourself, you also didn’t want to leave those you pulled here, with Sans, on his own. The reassuring kiss Papyrus had pressed to your lips, with the promise that he’d be there for you as well, was something you didn’t want to admit swayed you to stay.

And maybe you could be of help or even get more answers if you stayed.

You still wanted to go home though, the thought of laying in your own bed, alone and comfortable without a worry causing home-sickness to swell inside your chest.

With a heaving sigh, you propped the tray on your hip, grateful for Sans’ magic having been infused into the tray to help with the load, and pushed the door open. You willed yourself to keep your eyes on the tray, on the door, on the floor. You really tried not to make eye contact, even as you placed the tray where Sans had instructed you to, and pushed it through the barrier. You could almost feel the skeletons stare at you through the glass, making your skin tingle with goosebumps. You needed to get out of there before you were tempted to start a conversation with-

The thump on the glass made you jump, startled. The taller, Mutt, had his fist pressed against the glass, eye lights fixed on you in a guarded way that made you fidget and look away, before turning towards the door.

“Duchess, wait! We need to ta-”

The desperation in his voice actually made you stop, spine tense, but you couldn’t bring yourself to turn around to face him as you interrupted him.

“I’m not her, I’m sorry. She’s dead.” You stated, trying to will yourself to sound confident, but the tremble in your voice gave away the anxiety that built in your chest. You weren’t the (Y/N) from their universe, and the faster they understood that, the faster you could all work on getting everyone back. And that, itself, was the main focus of what you wanted to do. Even Sans was coming up with god knows what off in the basement.

A small chuckle made you turn around and face the brothers out of curiosity, both of who now stood in front of the glass looking at you. The chuckle had come from the shorter one, his attire formal and militant, yet still oddly laid back. You could tell that what you thought had been a black shirt, was, in fact, a shirt that reached just above his pelvic bone, showing a glimpse of his spine. His black pants had a belt sporting a skull in the centre of it, making you frown at that. You weren’t sure why, but the fact that a skeleton was wearing a skull made you slightly uncomfortable.

“Yes, Pet, We’re Quite Aware, But It Seems Part Of Her Has Latched Onto You, Has It Not?”

You shivered as the taller of the two looked back at you, piercingly, as if he was trying to look into your soul, the intense gaze offputting all on its own.

“I- Yes, but it’s not a sentient part of her... I’m sorry, I really am, but I’m not the (Y/N) you know, and she’s not here, only her-” You spoke, once again moving to leave the room but cut short by the bark of laughter the shorter one expelled.

“-Her Lifeforce! Of Course You’re Not Our Duchess! You Are, However, A Different Universes’ (Y/N), And Just Like My Duchess, You Likewise Are As Infuriatingly Apologetic.” He spoke, moving the armchair closer to the window, where he sat down crossing one leg over the other, fingers steepled as he eyed you. “Although You Do Look Slightly Different From Our Duchess. I Must Say, The Maleficent Sans Does Quite Enjoy This Hairstyle You Sport... Alongside Those Extra Curves.”

“Always right you are, m’lord. I would quite enjoy pull’n’ it, if she’d permit me t’, I can promise y’d-“

“Not Now, Mongrel!” Milord snapped, tugging harshly on the taller skeletons collar, to which the taller reflexively recoiled back, burrowing himself back into his coat. His sharp eyelights were quick to return their gaze on you, the smirk playing on his teeth falling away at Milords reprimand.

“I Would Imagine You’d Have Questions You Might Like To Obtain Answers To, Is That Not So, Human?” Milord continued, paying Mutt no mind as he slinked behind the chair subserviently. Their dynamic was interesting, yet it very much looked like a dysfunctional one. You did not want to pry into it more than you already had.

However, you did want answers, and you did have several questions. How did these two know you… or, well, your other you, why did Mutt seem so desperate to talk with you, did they know anything about your current situation, did they know how to get your life to be normal again, would they-

“Well? I Would Love To Argue That I Don’t Have All Day, However, This Universe’s Weakling Version Of My Own Far Superior Self Did Imprison Us Without An Emergency Exit In This Wretched Room. Please Do Humor Me Though, Duchess. I’d Like An Answer.” He leaned forwards, resting his Olecranon on his femur, gaze once again piercing into you, just as much as Mutts seemed to be.

You shifted uncomfortably, messing with the edges of your shirt. “I-I-, w-well, y-yes, I have qu-questions, but I’m not sure if you can answer them… and I wonder w-what you will ask for in exchange for answers.” You hadn’t really realized how nervous you were until the stutter in your throat caught you unaware.

The soft huff from Mutt, sounding amused at your uneasiness, made you glare at the brothers, defiantly standing taller and squaring your shoulders. There was no reason to be nervous, you’d been through hell and back, no way two Skeletons should make you shiver. Yet as their eyelights bore down on you, you felt, almost instantly, your resolve faltering.

“Ah, Yes, It Seems Your Perception In This Universe Is Just As Immaculate As In Our Own. Indeed I Would Like To Have Something In Exchange, Pet-“

“I’m not letting you guys out of that room, if that’s what you’re planning on asking for.” You quickly interjected, ignoring the annoyed glare the shorter skeleton sent you for being interrupted.

“Of Course Not, Pet. She Always Was Quite Bright, Was She Not, Mutt?”

“’n accurat’ assessment, m’lord.” The taller replied, sitting down on the arm rest of the armchair, an amused smirk returning to his teeth, his gold canine reflecting the light that streamed into their ~~cell~~ room.

“Could you please cut to the chase? Unlike you, I do not have all day, unfortunately.” You snarked, crossing your arms across your chest, ignoring the brothers amused gazes.

“Understandable. My Request Is Quite Simple, Human. I Would Like To Hold Your Hand For A Few Minutes. Quite Simple Of A Request, No?”

You clenched your fingers, burrowing them into the soft fabric of your sweater, as you searched Milords eyelights for any indication of what he had planned, then let out a huff. Mutt glanced between the both of you with curiosity and an almost bored expression, but he was very clearly listening intently.

“Have a pleasant day, Milord.” You uncrossed your arms, shooting him a pointed look, then turned around and left the room without another word.

\-------

You strolled along the outside, the large Mansion casting shadows over the trees along the clearing, far behind you, the soft pitter patter of the water almost inaudible as you explored more and more of the grounds the mansion sat on. You’d come out here to get away from the mess, the skeletons that you had such conflicting feelings for and the absolute mess your life had become. Your eyes roamed the small hedge that made up the boundary between the wilder forest and the Mansion grounds, occasionally splitting to give way to smaller paths that hadn’t been explored in quite a while if the state of the cobblestone, cracked and covered in green moss, was any indication.

You had decided to follow one of these paths, mind still lost in thought, when the sudden ringing of your phone caught you off guard, causing you to slip and trip slightly, catching yourself against the bark of a tree.

You were quick to pull you phone from your pocket, sparing a quick glance at the Caller ID to see Troys signature smile and business suit as the picture. You thumbed the accept button, a smile actually breaking out as you replied.

“Troy! Hey! How’s it been?!”

Your excitement was met by the low chuckling of your former boss on the other side, pulling a warm smile from you.

“Hey (Y/N). Long time no see, huh? I’ve been doing great, a bit stressed in the new position, but otherwise great. On that topic, I was hoping you could spare a few minutes to help your old friend out?”

You huffed a slight laugh, spotting another path branching away from the one you were currently on and decided to take that as you hummed your agreement.

“Well, Susan, our team lead in engagement is off on prenatal leave. And Dave and her are apparently moving out of town to live closer to his parents for their kids.”

“Ok…. And how can I help?” you inquired suspiciously, kicking a loose pebble that skipped off of the moss and into the fern.

“We were hoping you’d be interested in joining the team. The promotion would, of course, come with appropriate compensation, your own car since you’d need to partake in congress and court hearings twice weekly, as well as run the research necessary, but you know how much Susan loved her position and-“

“Troy.” You cut into his rambling, a chuckle accompanying it “I like what I’m doing now, you know that.” You watched a squirrel that jumped from one tree to the other to land on… a hut? You frowned, approaching the dark decrepit building, as Troy continued.

“I know, (Y/N), but you deserve better than just coordinating the Translation Quality and Communication team. Up in Engagement with the HIPP, we can offer you better pay, better conditions even.” There was the sound of rustling paper on the other side of the line, as you circled the two storied hut. It was in need of a lot of TLC, but it looked livable at least. Huh.

“Troy… I appreciate it I do, but I also know that Susan barely did anything else but go to those hearings, collect data and then do what her manager told her to do without much input.”

“And guess who your manager would be. Your old pal Troy. I’ll double your salary, you know.”

You stopped short, eyes growing wide at the ridiculous suggestion. You wouldn’t consider yourself wealthy, but you had studied and worked hard to be where you were now. And your comfortable life really could be enough for you. But double your salary?

“Uh…. You can’t be serious, right?” you answered finally, listening as Troy rustled more with his papers.

“I can triple it? You don’t have to decide right now, but I would love to have you on board. You’ve always had a knack for seeing right through other people’s words and getting your own point across. And asking exactly the right questions… not to mention, you have _Monsters_ as your friends now, right?” the way he said Monsters made something in your git clench uncomfortably, but you resumed your inspection of the hut.

“Right… Say Troy, would this be Human facing Stakeholders, Monster facing Stakeholders, a mix? What would I be looking at here.”

Troy fell silent on the line, causing you to check if the call had dropped, before he resumed his rustling.

“Well, neither actually. We’d need your insight and help on actually finding cells of activity worth engaging with.”

For the second time you stopped short, staring up at the hut in thought.

“Send me the Roles and Responsibilities over e-mail. I’ll take a look, but this really isn’t my field, you know?” you scratched the scar belonging to Milord and Mutt absentmindedly, while Troy sighed in relief.

“Thanks, I’ll send it right away. You’d be helping us more than you know, (Y/N). I can’t imagine anyone who would suit the position better. I’ll catch you later.” And he hung up.

Well… what in the Stars was that all about.

Turning around you decided to inspect the hut later. The possibility of tripling your income was very alluring, but the thought of leaving your team behind made the uneasy feeling return all over again. You really didn’t like messing with Politics and the times you had dipped your toe into the waters you had felt the repercussions…. Quite literally. But three times your income? A car? Your dad would be so happy, you could help your family and not to mention, your mother would have been very proud to see you in such a position. And it did sound fun! Finding new stakeholders, investors, communities and engagement possibilities? Partaking in the Congress hearings? You shook your head free of your thoughts, starting your walk back to the mansion. It really would be foolish to decline, and yet…

The sharp tug on your chest made you lurch forward. The now familiar green light had materialized itself around your middle and your chest, and the pulling of it towards the mansion almost made you trip on the loose leaves on the ground. You looked up, stumbling again as another lurch urged you to move faster. You burst into a run, though, as a loud crash from the Mansions direction startled the birds from the tree tops, the tugging becoming painful almost. Your legs started burning from the run, still weak from the time in the coma. Another tug sent you sprawling onto the moss, the pain radiating from your side and chest through your leg, the panic building as the familiar feeling of pulling something materialized through the pain.

You scrambled up, just in time to see Blue burst through the hedge boundary, running towards you at full speed.

“MAIDEN! I’M SORRY! WE MUST GO!” he shouted, picking you up and flinging you over his shoulder like a potato sack, which you barely took notice as the pain intensified, a burning feeling that felt like something was being ripped apart from your very being. You screamed in pain, not even realizing that Blue kicked the back door in, sweat beading on his skull, running up the stairs three steps at a time.

The air in the hall felt heavy, the scent or thunder so present that it almost choked you, as Blue ran past door after foor. He barged into a room you barely recognized as the room the new brothers were in, setting your now convulsing and shivering body on the chaise lounge. You heard someone talk, gasping, and Blue collapsed next to you with a dull ‘thunk’ grabbing on to his ribcage, while Stretch lay shivering himself, curled up in the other room…

And Sans… oh, Sans looked furious. Through the tears in your eyes you could barely make out the silhouette of the Skeleton you cared for so much, sockets dark save for the blazing blue in one of them. You could barely see a white inverted heart floating in front of the shorter new brother, bright green strings tied around it… And Sans’ blue eyelight intensified as another fiber of the thick string tied to the white soul in front you got ripped out of the heart. The fiber turned black, a stark contrast to the vibrant ocean green of the thick vine, which spread further and further…

Another violent convulsion ripped through your body as something started to snap, the agony making you cry out. You felt something fall away, a part of your soul painfully vulnerable and you screamed again, as your side flared in white hot agony. And just as quick as it came, it stopped, your body falling back onto the chair, as you gasped for much needed air.

Blue, kneeling on the floor next to you, looked up as Sans rushed to your side, eyelights tiny pinpricks in the sea of black, blue sweat dripping from his skull.

“shit, shit, shit, he wasn’t lying, he really wasn’t lying, shit I’m sorry starlight, stars I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it would-“

“I Told You, You Pathetic Version Of My Brother. Our Souls Are Intertwined. You Saw It Yourself. And Her Lifeforce Is Tied To All Of Us. We’ve Been Here For Less Than A Week, And Even We Could Tell You This Would Be The Consequence. Don’t Try To Break Our Connection. You Will Not Like What Will Happen If You Do.” Milord glanced at you, before pushing Blue away with his boot as if he was nothing more than Trash. Sans glowered, but didn’t move as Milord crouched down next to you, and Mutt rushed to hover just above you.

There was a short silence, where your heavy breathing started to calm down, confusion and frustration and exhaustion rushing over you in a way that make you sink into the cushions heavily. 

“I Can’t Believe…”

“She’s ours ag’n m’lord.”

“Yes…”

And they both took hold of your hands.

And you just like that, you felt _complete_. Like coming home after a hard day, a warm shower after being out in the rain, like the most delicious food… Like a part of your life was once again filled, the way it was meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm, oops?  
> So... I went on vacation, I got sick, I fractured my foot, my boyfriend broke up with me, then asked me to marry him, then asked us to not have labels, and to top it all off, this chapter just DIDNT want to come out.  
> I know things are confusing, but of course, explanations will come.   
> Does anyone even still read this? Hahaha


	20. Bitter Sweet and Sweetly Bitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is SMUT in this Chapter! And slight bondage!

You felt warm, the cloth Sans had given you were constricting in all of the best places, while Papyrus increased the heat as he drew his Phalanges across your skin. They almost burned in their path with their intensity, the cool sharp tips of scratching hieroglyphs of sin into your flesh. Sans moved closer, his infamous smirk settled firmly upon his skeletal features, yet that known warmth behind his eyelights flickered to you. Your arms were bound, tightly, to the wooden beam of your joined bedroom, one of your legs, held up in a similar way, spreading your legs apart and giving Sans a perfect view of your already slippery core. Papyrus groaned as Sans pressed himself against your front, pressing you back into his chest, your behind pressing against the very evident bulge.

“You’re A Sight, Marvelous, Passionate, Decadent…” Sans spoke, ignoring you as you whimpered needily around the lace panties shoved in your mouth. He pulled you closer to him by the corset he’d gotten you, making Papyrus snarl as the pressure was removed from you, but quick to quiet at the loathing glare Sans sent him.

“And You’re Our Delicious Sight, Are You Not Duchess?” he murmured into your ear, hot breath falling on your neck as Papyrus moved to kneel on the floor, inhaling deeply the scent of your arousal. You whined as Sans took your hardened nipples between his own phalanges, pinching them until they were red and you were successfully distracted enough that when Papyrus gave the first lick of that wanting petals at the apex of your thighs, you jostled in the binds.

“Now, Now, Pet, What Have I Said About Struggling When Presenting Mutt With His Meal?” Sans voice had gotten a raspy quality to it, eyelights fixed on your own (E/C) orbs, just as Papyrus spread your petals and licked from core to clit. You shuddered violently, the pleasure ripping through you like a hot bath after a cold day, having been teased and edged for days. As Papyrus worked his tongue on you, Sans grinned as you fell apart at his ministrations. Papyrus had always been an absolute manic with his tongue.

“So Tell Me, Duchess… Are You Ready?” The question had you reeling, pulling back slightly, yet Sans held you close, moving his phalanges down your body, down your stomach and landing on your lifted thigh, as Papyrus circled the bundle of nerves that made you shudder and twitch, desperate to keep yourself from moving but also craving that extra touch, to be filled to be-

Sans pushed Papyrus down further, proceeding to circle your clit with expert fingers, keeping your core covered so Papyrus knew to wait for his word.

“Are We Playing Coy Today, Duchess? Are We Playing Shy? Tell Me, Are you Ready For Us?” his fingers increased in speed, knowing just what to touch and what to do to get you closer and closer to the edge and you could feel it, a mounting tension within you that threatened to break if only Sans would-

“Pet, I Will Ask One More Time-“ he quickly removed the panties from your mouth, as he leaned closer and licked your ear. “Use Your Words. Are Your Ready To Be Ours?”

With those words, he moved his hand and Papyrus dove in, filing your core with his tongue that ruthlessly sought, found and played with the spots that’s made your toes curl. Sans grinned as your eyes rolled back, circling your clit relentlessly and you knew, you felt it, the snapping of the damn as Sans asked you “Are You Ours?” and your inevitable “YES!” that spilled from your lips at the same time as your orgasm crashed over its peak. A cry of extasy, submission, pleasure and utter devotion. You loved them, and they loved you, and the words “yours” kept spilling forth with your tears and laughter and desperation and longing.

Your soul pulsed, escaping your chest with a vibrant green, as Papyrus’ and Sans’ souls responded in kind, the pleasure mounting and they pressed themselves to yours, the encompassing belonging and need bringing you to crash renewed into the abyss of pleasure.

You woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat and tangled beyond recognition in your sheets. Sans, the Classic version, was napping on the pillow next to yours, a slight trickle of magic escaping his teeth, causing you to flush all over again. What had just happened? That dream… no, it felt too real to be a dream. A memory? The image of Mutt between your legs, smirking, make you clench your thighs together in a feeble attempt to lessen the itch.

You needed a cold shower- Stat.

You kicked off the blankets, trying to be quiet as you went to stand, legs shaky and underwear drenched in your arousal. You tried to be quiet, you did, not wanting to wake Sans up from his much-needed nap, but your attempts were in vain as you looked back to see him wide awake. His eyelights were large and fuzzy around the edges, firmly set on you, a slight tint of blue around his nasal cavity. He held a look you had never seen before, which shot straight to your already drenched core.

“O-oh, h-hi Sans, morning, i-is everything alright?” you stumbled over your words, trying to discreetly turn around so any indication of your arousal wouldn’t be too obvious. Sans, however, seemed to have something else in mind, as he grabbed your hand just as you were about to stand. He inhaled, deeply, before pulling you back onto the bed and closer to him.

“mhm, mornin’ starlight, sleep well?” he grumbled, as he pressed himself against your back, skull and nasal cavity pressed against your neck. His warm breath fanning over your sensitive skin and the back of your ears made you shiver, the feeling causing a renewed wave of arousal.

The slight moan that broke from your mouth jostled you back into reality. This was wrong. You pushed yourself away quickly, looking away from Sans with a fierce blush. A squeaked “Shower” and determined to ignore the blue glow you could just see peeking from Sans’ shorts, you rushed out of the room and to the bathroom for some privacy and a cold- nay, a freezing- shower.

You’d never forgive yourself if you gave yourself to Sans with the thoughts still firmly planted on Milord and Mutt. Both of whom you had been diligently avoiding for the last few days as they explored the mansion and grounds.

A freezing shower would have to do… and possibly continuing to avoid the two newcomers for the time being.

\-----

When you returned from your shower you were glad to see Sans had left your room. You felt guilt wrap around your chest. You really liked Sans, the crush and affection you felt for him blooming warm and invitingly within your chest. But the thought that you also felt such great affection and dedication to Papyrus made you confused… and now dreams, memories-flashbacks?- of the two new brothers… you sighed, pulling the sweater down over your leggings, after getting your post-shower routine done. It wasn’t that you thought a poly relationship would be wrong. You wouldn’t judge anyone for whom they loved. But you didn’t know how Sans or Papyrus would feel about this. Pap had said not to worry about it, but… how could you not.

And Blue was also so-

‘No stop it right there, (Y/N), we’re not bringing more into this, no’ you scolded yourself, closing your door with a little more force than necessary as if to prove your point.

The house was quiet. A peek at your phone, and judging by the dim light outside, it was too early for you to be awake. Blue and Pap wouldn’t be up for another hour. You walked past the windows on the hall, shuffling down the stairs in your warm woolen socks. The light was very dim outside, a dull grayish blue light casting everything in a cold glimmer. It would probably rain today, you thought, quietly stopping to observe the mist that hung over the front lawn. It needed cutting.

You proceeded into the kitchen in desperate need of some nice strong coffee. Grabbing the coffee beans that Sans had shown you earlier this week, you stared at them for a while. You’d decided that this week you’d definitely have to go home with Jess to grab more clothes and maybe start moving things into the skeletons abode. A long conversation with Sans and Blue had you deciding to take three days to also get some sense of normalcy in your life. You were tempted to make it a weekly trip. But you still had a lot to grab and move over, while Jess had to move more things in. And with this morning’s happenings, you really needed the coffee to give you strength for later.

“Ya can stare all ya want, honey, coffee ain’t gonna make itself.”

Stretch’s drawl made you jump, heart racing and beans scattering all over the counter top, some falling onto the floor, as you whirled toward the voice.

“What the fu-“ you cut yourself short, holding onto the coffee bag, the other hand grabbing onto your chest above your hammering heart.

“’m not that ugly, human.” He sneered, watching haughtily as you proceeded to groan and started to pick up the beans. You definitely would not let precious coffee beans go to waste.

“I beg to differ, Stretch. It’s early, aren’t you supposed to do whatever you do in the morning, I don’t know, sleep and not antagonize me?” you snapped in response, the irritation from being on edge, the thoughts floating around and the lack of patience at his antics causing you to be ruder than you’d like.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” You mumbled, dumping the beans onto a paper towel. Stretch audibly shutting his mouth as you knelt to pick up the beans on the floor made you look up questioningly.

“You good?”

“peachy.” He answered, relaxing some as he watched you pick up beans. “Bad day?”

“Stars above, I’d say bad month… bad year? Heck, considering I keep dying everywhere, I’d consider it a bad existence.”

Stretch’s chuckle made you look up at him in awe. You hadn’t actually heard him laugh before, without it being sarcastically. It was a nice sound, softly laced with “Nyeh” that made you want to gush over how cute it sounded.

“Guess while I like my coffee dark, you must like yours _depressed_ huh.”

It took a few minutes for the pun to land, still too baffled by his laugh. When it did though, you snorted un-elegantly, beans scattering from one hand as you went to hide your face at the sound.

“Nah, just got a _latte_ on my mind.” You replied, a small smile on your face and you awed as Stretch’s teeth seemed to pull upwards in a more honest smile. Even more baffling was the fact that he knelt on the floor in front of you and started to meticulously pick the beans as well.

“You don’t hav-“

“Don’t _brew’d_ ‘bout it hun.” He shot back, and a smile broke over your face.

“Stretch?”

“Yeah?”

“You _mocha_ me blush.”

Papyrus’ frustrated groan from the kitchen door made both of you break out in laughter.

\--------

“Jess! Come on! Let’s go!”

The excitable blonde bounced down the stairs, her favorite Jacket of yours in one hand and the old pajamas she loved stealing from you in the other.

“Only if I can borrow these for while you live here!” she shouted, dodging Blue who was trying to take his bandana from around her neck. You giggled at their antics as the excitable skeleton charged her, tackling her to the ground and proceeded to tickle her.

“Blue! I gotta get going before traffic goes crazy!” you called, leaning against the door, pointedly ignoring Jess’ begging gaze for release. Stretch, however, took pity on the blonde, grabbing Blue by the back of his shirt then stealing the bandana back from Jess while she lay frazzled on the ground. The betrayed look on her face made you laugh.

“Jess, unless you want to stay in traffic for the next three hours, I’d say, get a move on.” To which she merely lifted the two pieces of clothing up.

“Fine, you can-“ not even able to finish the sentence, Jess was running out the door, leaving a very confused (Y/N) behind.

“she’s gotta lotta energy, huh kid?” Sans arm around your waist made you flush a slight red, but instead of shying away you smiled at him, pressing a light kiss to his teeth. His hold on you tightened slightly.

“Yeah, she’s always been like that. You know… I’m going to be safe, you don’t have to worry so much.”

“NONSENSE SUNSHINE, WE WILL BE A CALL AWAY, AND WE WORRY FOR OUR DATEMATE!” Papyrus interjected, as he brought some of the new furniture into the house that Jess had so kindly dropped off. The words made you flush a deeper shade of red, and Sans… well… you looked up at him, eyelights blown wide, a deep blue tint on his zygomatic bones that almost made you coo at him. He looked so cute, you couldn’t help the extra kiss you pressed against his teeth.

“HUMAN! I THOUGHT I WAS THE COOLEST, GREATEST, BEST DATEMATE?!” the taller brother teased, while Sans awkwardly shuffled to the side to let his brother claim a kiss of his own.

“I only settle for the best, Papy.” You grinned, holding his jaw in your palm as you pressed a loving warm kiss against his teeth as well. The orange flush and nasal “NYEH” just further increased your affection for him. Confusion or not, Poly or not, you would never be able to give up on Papyrus. He filled you with a sense of comfort you couldn’t quite place.

“t’s just a few days, right honey?” came the sound of Stretchs voice in the living room. You shouted a confirmation. Blue rushed over, giving you a tight hug.

“BE SAFE MAIDEN! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL BE WITH YOU IN SECONDS IF YOU NEED ME!” his heroic pose made you grin.

“Thank you, my knight!” you giggled, pressing a kiss to his cheekbone.

“Come on loser! Let’s go!”

With a wave and a grin, you jumped into Jess’ car, and started the drive back home for the last touches before moving into the Skeletons abode.

The trip itself was uneventful to start with, getting stuck in traffic an inevitability as you had left just before rush hour. Jess and you made the best out of it, playing car games, singing along to old songs and her relentlessly teasing you about the two skeletons you had kissed. Yet soon the mood sobered up a bit, the rain drops falling in a soft patter against the windshield. The squeaking of the wiper causing a comforting rhythm.

“I have to tell you something (Y/N).” Jess turned the sound of the radio down, low enough that it could barely be heard. Your silence, broken only by the squeaky windshield wiper, urged her to continue.

“Remember uhm, a while back, when you first went to the skeletons, and I said it wouldn’t be a good idea to return home in the state you were in?” she continued, flicking her eyes over to you momentarily to see you nod, then paid attention back on the road. The deep frown she wore was very uncharacteristic for your normally bubbly friend.

“There’s a reason. So uh.. Uhm, your neighbor, that little old lady, uhm-“

“Mrs. Garrison.”

“Mrs. Garrison…” she paused, scratching her temple, a nervous tick she’d picked up when she was younger. “She passed away shortly after you left.”

There was a beat of silence. You turned off the radio completely. The world outside the window trickled by, the clouds having finally decided to let go of their own burden. You hadn’t been as close with her as the upstairs neighbor. But she had been the very first neighbor to have welcomed you into your apartment. She’d been there when the small fire had broken out in your kitchen, shown you to throw baking soda to quench the flame. You’d met her great-grand children, been there when her youngest son passed away as well as at her grand-daughters wedding last year. She might not have been family, but she had always made you feel welcome into her life. And her cookies were straight miracles of gastronomy… You barely registered the tears that escaped you at the memories.

“Are you OK, pumpkin?” Jess’ concerned voice pulled you out of your reverie, quickly drying your eyes with the sleeve of your sweater.

“Yeah, just shocked. She was such a sweet lady.” You murmured, eyes returning to the windshield. “How did she die?”

“Murdered.”

“ WHAT?!” you screeched, causing Jess to jump and swerve in fright, but quickly getting the car back under control.

“Jesus Woman! Don’t do that while I’m driving!” she called, breathing heavily, glancing over at you.

“How can I stay calm when…. Murdered? What? Why didn’t you tell me right away?!” your glare went pointedly ignored.

“Pumpkin, you needed the time to mourn it. To not be overwhelmed with this too…”

You sighed, rubbing your temples, with Jess stealing looks at you throughout the ride.

You knew she was right, you knew that you hadn’t been in a position to be able to handle that information. Were you now? The answer was quite simple.

“You’re right…” the silence settled over the both of you, tense and dreary. The longer it dragged on, the more uncomfortable you felt. “I’m sorry…” you finally conceded, while Jess threw you a smile as she grabbed your hand.

“It’s alright. I did want to tell you, pumpkin. I really did. They still don’t know who did it. They think that one of her grandsons, a druggy from down the state, came to steal from her and killed her in a struggle, but they got no evidence at all.” She squeezed your hand again, returning it to the steering wheel. You bit your lip, increasingly worried about the news. Not only had someone you cared for died, but someone had been _murdered_. The heavy sigh that escaped you only slightly reduced the anxiety that was building.

“Are you sure you will be safe there? It was supposed to be a safe neighborhood…”

Jess waved away your worries.

“Nah, don’t worry! The guy is under arrest. Something about there being no break and entry and him being the only one with keys. And they are increasing security and everything. Don’t you worry about lil’ ol’ me.” She eased your worries successfully. She’d always been good at that.

“Still can’t believe she’s gone…”

Jess took your hand and held it for the rest of the ride.


	21. Decisive Decisions and Responsibilities

The apartment was quiet. Where before, the occasional laughter from children or a TV would have filtered through the thick walls of the apartment, now silence was the only thing that remained in the rooms. It seemed that a lot of your neighbors had taken temporary leave from their residences after what had happened. You couldn’t really hold it against them, as Mrs. Garrison had been liked by several in the building. The children especially… you still couldn’t believe she was gone.

Jess would often steal glances at you while she worked on something or other for her thesis, blonde hair in a messy bun and crumbs all over her T-Shirt as she stuffed her face with chips. You envied her ability of being able to eat everything and never gain a pound, you really did. You focused back on the task at hand, packing up the rest of the belongings you wanted to take with you back to the skeleton's mansion until this whole mess had been cleared up…

Maybe start and pursue a nice loving relationship with Sans and Pa-

The loud ‘Ding’ from your phone jolted you out of the thoughts that you had, admittedly, been avoiding thinking about. You grabbed the phone quickly, opening the message without really paying attention to who it came from, only to choke on a cough paired with a laugh.

There on the screen, a picture of Sans with a red chrysanthemum lodged in his nasal cavity and a cheeky wink (an obvious selfie), greeted you. You could just barely make out the background of the garden (and an annoyed Papyrus with his gardening gloves), through the tears of laughter streaming down your face. The scene was too good - the flower, a deep red, poked its thin petals out and around the cavity almost like a furry nose, a stray leaf on Sans’ skull, his cheeky wink and Papyrus’ absolutely appalled face made you almost double over in laughter when paired with the Caption “ _ flower _ u doin?” that came with it.

Jess huffed from behind you, where she had crept up to see what all the commotion was about, before resuming her place at the laptop, chuckling silently.

You quickly took a picture of yourself; poking your own nose, tongue out, with the caption “you always so  _ nosey _ ? :P ” and sent it off.

Not even two seconds later your phone rings, Sans’ cute grin on the caller ID making you smile as you hit the ‘accept’ and set it on speaker while you continue packing.

“nosey? really?” his deep laugh made you grin and look over to the screen. He had turned on the video so you turned on yours as well.

“You caught me off guard Sans! How could I ever beat the pun-master  _ in the flesh _ ?” you giggled, as you folded the jeans you were holding and set them inside the suitcase.

Sans was about to reply when Papyrus’ handsome face shoved itself into frame.

“SUNSHINE! YOU BETTER BE DOING REGULAR EXERCISE AND EATING WELL ENOUGH! HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY SUN? YOU MUST MISS MY AMAZING COMPANY ALREADY!”

You grinned at the sweet skeleton.

“Yes Papy, I’m eating and doing my exercises. You don’t have to worry about me so much… although yes, I do miss you terribly.” You replied, your heart melting at the adorable orange flush on his zygomatic bones at the simple admission.

“you’ll be back the day after tomorrow, right?”

You nodded, grabbing your favorite dress, folded it neatly and placed it inside the case. You then took the phone and sat down to give the two sweet skeletons your full attention.

“Yeah. I’m packing mostly everything today, leaving just a few things for the days I’m here. Then we’re going to go get Jess’ stuff from her parents, maybe hang out a bit since she’s going to be super busy with her thesis and work and what not, and then I’ll head back to you guys.” You scratched your cheek as you thought about the plans for the next three days.

“GOOD! AND THEN WE CAN FINALLY MAKE MY FAMOUS FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI! A CERTIFIED GREAT-PAPYRUS-APPROVED WAY OF ESTABLISHING ANY SORT OF RELATIONSHIP WITH FRIENDS Or Otherwise!”

You laughed, able to see the triumphant pose of Papy behind Sans’ back, not even bothering to hide your ever growing grin.

“I would love to Papy, I can’t imagine a better time than spending it with you.” You smiled, sending the taller skeleton a flirty wink that made Sans choke and Papyrus to flush that adorable flush of his.

“N-NYEH! OF COURSE YOU COULD NOT HUMAN! AFTER ALL, I AM THE BEST DATEMATE THAt A DAteMate … Could… Date?” he trailed off, sharing a look with Sans, who nodded.

“about that, starshine, can we talk to you?” he asked, eyelights flicking over your shoulder to Jess who was grumbling at her screen.

With a “Yeah, just a sec.” you quickly proceeded to close the door to the bedroom, giving you privacy with the two skeletons on the other side.

“So, I guess we’re having the talk?” you finally questioned as you settled yourself against the headboard of your bed.

“huh, guess I grew a backbone-“ he was interrupted by Pap’s groan of “NOT NOW” which made you giggle.

“So… alright, before you guys say anything, I really want to get something off of my chest.” You waited for Sans’ nod of confirmation, ensuring that Papyrus was listening as well.

“I like you guys. A lot… probably more than a lot. And I honestly would like nothing more than pursue something with you… but I like both of you. So much. Sans, you’re such a caring, strong and funny guy. You make me laugh, you make me open up, you make me feel at ease with everything, like no matter what, we can figure it out. You’re lazy and crack puns at the most inopportune times... And I adore that. I adore how you don’t let me hide from my problems, but help me face them. You’re so patient with me and you’re amazing... and uh… very handsome…” You were blushing, Sans’ own skull a deep blue hue. Yet you quickly looked at Papyrus, who looked dejected.

“And you Papyrus…” he looked back at you from where he had been staring at his gloves, a hopeful gleam in his eyelights that made your heart clench.

“I can’t begin to explain how much I care and adore you. You make me feel at home whenever you hold me. I feel safe with you, cared for, loved and wanted. You’re the sweetest person, or monster, that I have ever met. I can’t imagine a life without you in it Papyrus. Your passion for everything you do is nothing short of contagious, your energy always makes me smile, and stars, you are dashingly handsome… especially in those light blue jeans that y-“ you caught yourself in your daydream, returning your focus to the two heavily blushing skeletons on the phone.

“Point of the matter is… I can’t choose. I know you guys might feel the same for me, but I care too much for you guys to be split or upset because of something I do. I can’t… I just… And not only that, but I can’t even focus on one thing with everything going on, how could I even consider hurting one of you, and hurting myself, by choosing? I can’t, and if I have to not have either of you, then I will-“

“-(Y/N)!” Papyrus calling your name snapped you out of your spiraling thoughts, pulling you back to look at the brothers, which you now realized had, in fact, been calling your name.

“WE UNDERSTAND, SUNSHINE. OF COURSE YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE THE GREAT PAPYRUS AS YOUR DATEMATE AND OF COURSE MY DATEMATE WOULD NEVER WANT TO HURT MY BROTHER, WHO OF COURSE FEELS JUST AS STRONGLY ABOUT YOU. BUT THAT IS WHY THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS THE GREATEST OF DATEMATES, AS I HAVE ENOUGH GREATNESS TO SHARE OUR DATES WITH MY BROTHER AND-“

“ya don’t have ta’ choose, is what pap means.” Sans interrupted, earning a pointed glare from Pap, which made you giggle before the implications started to sink in.

“YES, WHAT MY LAZYBONES BROTHER SAID.” He huffed, crossing his arms yet maintaining eye contact with you as they waited for a response.

“I… don’t? Oh…” of course you had misread everything. Why would they be interested in you like that? You were, after all, just a normal generic human, and if it had not been for the incident, they would never have even noticed you. But then why had they accepted your kiss… but who would want you to start with? Who were you kid-

“’course not, starshine, we both want ya, ya want both a’ us… and I always share with my bro anyways. he’s the coolest.” Sans explained quickly, a soft adoring glance at the taller one, only interrupted by Papyrus’ soft “Nyeh” of agreement.

“B-both…?” your stutter made Sans chuckle, that deep baritone you had come to adore so much.

“‘course, only if ya wanna, Starlight. i know humans ain’t that big on multiple partners, and it’s not the norm for monsters neither-”

“BUT WE’D LIKE TO TRY IT IF YOU WOULD ALLOW US, WELL, ME OF COURSE, SINCE YOU CAN’T EVEN TRUST SANS TO PICK UP THOSE INFERNAL SOCKS FROM THE LIVING ROOM, BUT I KNOW THAT I, THE GREATEST OF PAPYRUSES.... PAPYRI?... PAPYRESES?... NYEH! I AM THE GREATEST DATEMATE, ANY ADDITION WILL ONLY BE IMPROVED WITH MY AMAZING INPUT!”

You let out an amused snort, before slumping back against the headboard, not even realizing how tense you had been until now.

“I think… I’d like that…”

“I CAN CONVINCE YOU HUMAN, WITH MY AMAZING-” Papyrus stopped short at your statement, and Sans sat up, seeming more attentive than before.

“YOU WOULD?” he looked more baffled than you could put into words, eyelights expanding slightly from their regular dots at your nod, before he seemed to shake himself out of it.

“OF COURSE YOU WOULD! WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO BE WITH THE MATE OF THE CENTURY! I WILL RE-READ "THE PROFICIENTS PARTNERS WORKBOOK FOR WONDERFUL WOOING" POST HASTE!” and Papyrus stood, moving quickly away from the camera, before seemingly remembering something and returning to bend down to be on the cameras height.

“OH AND I WILL BE SURE TO GIVE YOU LOTS OF HUGS! WINK!” and he was gone, his signature scarf the last thing you saw of him, leaving Sans chuckling and you with a confused yet warm smile.

“Did he just say wink?” you questioned, huffing in amusement as Sans sans nodded, leaning back in his chair, looking like the epitome of comfortable.

“sure did, Star, sure did."

\------

The bag you had left on the bed to pack your things into was slowly but surely filled with more and more unnecessary items. Sans would joke about things as you packed, occasionally questioning about some of your possessions to which you would share some of the stories behind them. Nostalgia and fond memories would make you smile at the items and Sans, perceptive to how you felt from a glance alone, would urge you to bring the items with you.

“so you’ll feel more at home” he’d said with a shrug when you asked him why. It made sense. You didn’t want to move in with them yet, much preferring to have your own area to relax where you wouldn’t be disturbed, but since it was happening you would rather feel comfortable with more of your familiar items.

Late into the evening Jess had finally dragged you to have dinner with her (a delicious cheese coated hamburger from her favorite restaurant), waving goodbye to Sans as she took your phone and ended the call with a playful “My turn”. 

Which left you confused at her sudden silence as the two sat at the small kitchen counter, the hamburgers looking delicious on the plates.

“You ok, Jess?” you finally broke the silence, causing the blonde to startle and look up at you with a slightly dejected look. She nodded, turning to her plate again, and you sighed.

“Cut the bull, whats up.” you insisted and Jess put the burger back on the plate, turning to face you.

“No matter what, we’ll be friends, right?” her voice was low, so uncharacteristically weak that you scooted forward in alarm, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

“Of course, what’s going on? We will always be friends, nothing will break this, I promise…” 

Jess turned to you, quickly wrapping you in a hug that had you reeling for a few short seconds.

“I just have a feeling things will get bad… worse… and I’m worried we’ll drift apart… that I won’t be able to be there for you… or you for me… and…”

“Shhhhh, it’s alright, it’s ok, we’re not going anywhere. Through thick and thin, through any distance, no matter what, we’ll always find a way back to each other. Sisters separated at birth or some shit like that.” you reassured her, causing a wet chuckle to break through her lips as she pulled back slightly.

“Just don’t forget about me, what with your boyfriends and all-” 

“You heard that?!” you shrieked, throwing a fry at her, which landed on her nose with a smack. The laughter followed the both of you as she tried to tackle you off of the stool, causing you to smear some extra ketchup on her cheek as she did. Your shenanigans were interrupted by a series of “Ding” from your phone which broke through the teary laughter. 

"Probably Sans…" you muttered as you took your phone and unlocked it to check the notification.

But it wasn't Sans. An e-mail by Troy had entered your inbox, staring up at you with the description and expectations for the new job you had been discussing. 

He was offering three times your current salary…three! Three whole times of your already comfortable salary. 

The email contained a lot of information, yet the Responsibilities was what most interested you.

"Responsibilities:

-Working closely with senior staff members

-Monitoring the regulatory evolutions, providing in-depth analyses on environmental, agronomic, and social topics linked to the cohabitation and working environments between monsters and humans in the entertainment and social media aspect, and handling data collections when appropriate

-Digesting and reporting pertinent information to HIPP members

-Coordinating internal work within HIPP members (such as meeting preparation and follow up, consultations…);

-Liaising with other stakeholder organizations;

-Preparing/handling HIPP’ interaction with the monster held institutions.

-sidenote: HIPP is no longer aggregated to the Unified Human Embassy, and works as a consultation foundation for the political and economic development of Monster Residing Sovereign States or Countries."

You blinked owlishly at your phone, the responsibilities staring back. It was too good a deal, too great an opportunity to pass up, but the fact that the safety, provided by the embassy held job retention percentage, would no longer support you made you stop. You trusted Troy, and really hoped HIPP would bring nothing but good to the Monster rights movement, but it was a relatively new branch and party. Should you take the money and the uncertainty? Should you retain the comfortable job you currently had and the certainty of a stable job? 

Jess whistled over your shoulder, making you turn to look at her questioningly.

"Three times as much Pumpkin… you taking it?" She questioned, sitting on the couch with her tea. You smiled at the tea she had brought for you, which sat waiting on the coffee table. 

"I'm not sure. The money would be nice, but I really like what I'm doing now. And I feel like the job would have me traveling a lot. I have enough crap going on at the moment…"

"Not to mention your boyfriends~" she teased, ducking away from the pillow you threw at her.

"You are terrible, you nonce."

"You still love me~" Jess giggled.

You really did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I want to thanks my lovely beta reader, confidante and friend @Esmesmae for the help she's been giving me. Your patience with the mess I call a brain is beyond commendable <3  
> Then, I want to apologize for how late this is. Holidays, adulting and writers-block isn't easy, so I appreciate your patience with my tardiness.  
> BUT! I got a chapter out BEFORE this mess of a year is over... so with that, I wish you all a lovely new year.  
> I love you all!


	22. Ah Sh*t, Here We Go Again

You wake slowly. It's cold, the air burning in your nose with the temperature drop. The shiver which crawled down your back prompted the pulling up of the blankets until the top covered your mouth and nose enough to warm up. You blinked, frowning as your eyes fell on the billowing curtains framing the open window. Well, that explained why the temperature had so suddenly dropped. You frowned, hadn't you closed it last night, though? 

Deeming yourself too tired, and quite frankly very comfortable underneath the warm blankets, to close the window, you turned your back on the window, intent on falling back asleep. Your body heat enveloped you, trapped beneath the blanket, luring you closer and closer to the edge of sleep. Yet, somehow, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The small worm of anxiety started gnawing at the pit in your stomach, until you huffed in annoyance. Guess that stupid window had to be closed.

You sat up, reaching for the light switch, the cold quickly invading the safe warmth of your bed.

Click.

You frowned, pressing the switch again, before patting around for your phone. Was the light bulb broken? Was the power down? You started to feel even more anxious as your phone, which was normally on your bedside table, was nowhere to be found.

“looking for this, poppy?”

The deep voice had you whipping around to face the source of the voice, which seemed to be engulfed in the darkness surrounding your room. Yet your phone caught the light which flickered through the open window, as it flew across the room to land in the farthest corner of the room.

Your heart hammered against your rib-cage, forcing your eyes towards the source of the voice again, feeling your breath catch. There, amidst the dark recesses of the night, a red light, and a teal one surrounded by red, stared back at you.

“at a loss for words, I see? skeleton got your tongue?” the voice chuckled, yet the lack of humor in his voice caused a shiver to run down your spine, one which had nothing to do with the cold. The confusion and shock that grabbed you, as the voice’s owner stepped silently into the moon light from the window, had you speechless and panicked.

There, dust covering his hoodie and holding a sharp looking bone, stood Sans. Yet, it wasn’t Sans, not your Sans at least. He was mumbling to himself, often times looking to his left as if addressing someone, and a wide emotionless grin pasted on his teeth. He looked worn down, almost manic as he snapped his eyelights back to you.

“well, poppy, don’t you know how to greet an old pal?” he sneered, breaking the silence that had settled in the room. The not-Sans took another step forward, grin stretching as you pressed yourself further into the bed, trembling.

“Wh-who-”

“who, who, who, you poppies always ask the same. isn’t it a shame, pap? always the same question…” he tsked, taking another step forwards. 

You quickly considered your options. You didn’t want to call for help, since you were scared that Jess would get hurt. This skeleton didn’t look sane, and the sharp bone didn‘t scream “fluffy safety” either. So screaming for help was out of the question. And you also didn't want to leave her here with this psychopath. Maybe if you could get to your phone, you could dial the emergency number? Surely, even crazy skeletons would be affected by gun-fire, right? You just… needed to find a way to get to the discarded phone in the corner…

As if sensing your train of thoughts, the not-Sans took another step forward, now within distance of the bed, and you took that as your queue to get the heck out of the bed in order to put as much distance between you and crazy.

“aw, don’t be like that poppy. come on, i just wanna  _ chat _ .” he chuckled, eyelights trained on you as you moved towards the window slowly, keeping a safe distance from the creep.

“W-why are you here.” you tried to sound confident, but the crack in your voice, and the shivers from both the cold and the fear, betrayed you. Not-Sans, apparently, found it hilarious.

“told ya, I’d always find you. ‘nd I keep my promises, poppy. i do just want to have a nice chat with an old friend though. so why don’t you  _ take a seat _ ?” he growled, causing you to take another shaky step backwards, even as you answer with a hint of snark.

“I think I’d rather stand, thank you.” you snapped back. Another step, and you’d be by the phone. And that’s when you messed up. The quick flick of your gaze to look for the phone was all it took for not-Sans to know what you had planned. With a low growl, he lunged forward, the sharp bone he had been holding sent flying to pierce through the device. You, panic and adrenaline taking hold of you, made a dash for the door, intent on at least getting yourself a knife.

The world, suddenly, turned heavy. You fell to your knees, gasping for breath as not-Sans approached you with a tut-tut leaving his teeth.

“such a badly behaved poppy, don’t you think paps? hm? no, no I don’t think we should. not this time, not yet. she won’t even give any- nah, can’t do that…” he returned his gaze towards you, and you ignored the flash of red to his right, in order to try and focus on breathing, as he knelt beside you. The wind was knocked out of you as the heavy feeling doubled, causing you to press down on the floor, close to the ground. It felt like gravity had increased tenfold, air struggling to reach your lungs. You barely struggled as he turned you on your back, facing the ceiling, yet the glint of the sharpened bone made you renew your efforts.

This was it. He was going to kill you. You would die on the carpet your dad had given you, and blood was a bitch to remove, and you’d leave a stain that you were sure Jess would not get out…

Jess…

You opened your mouth, ready to scream, when dusty phalanges clamped on your mouth, red and teal lights invading your line of sight.

“nownow, poppy, lets not get hasty. how bout we do it like this, hm? you give me answers and I’ll spare your life.” his eyelights flicked towards your chest, where you could feel your heart beating erratically, the heaviness causing it to pump blood harder and faster.

Riiiiiiiip.

The cold air drenched your chest and belly in goosebumps, your nipples pebbling instantly at the rush of the wind that blew from the open window. If the cold didn’t make you shiver, then the penetrative gaze from not-Sans did. It felt, paired with the heaviness holding you down, like he could stare straight into your soul. And yet, it felt worse as he ran a phalanges over the raised skin, stopping to cup one of your breasts with a smirk.

“i will say though, this alternate you, poppy, is delectable, so soft. so many other Poppies I’ve snuffed out, and this one is so much more to take- no! not this time, it’s different, don’t you- no,no,nonono, can’t now” he groaned, frowning, as he quickly turned you on your stomach again, ripping the rest of your shirt from your body. The way he flopped from one mood to the next had your head spinning between fear and relief and sheer  _ terror _ . 

You tried to buck him off of you as he started running his free hand over the skin of your back, as if searching for something, yet you felt confused panic climb your spine as you caught sight of another skeleton, similar to your own Papyrus, in the corner of your peripherals. You struggled with renewed effort, kicking out your legs as much as you could in your position, trying to talk through the phalanges that were still locked over your lips. What were they going to do to you? You’d survived death before, you don’t think you could do it again.

His wandering hands then stopped at your bicep. 

“ah! look paps, she’s the last one. is this-? yes, the last, the first, yes… poppy poppy poppy, what do I do with you now…” he whispered the last few words in your ear, pressing his phalanges into your mouth, pressing down on your tongue. His phalanges in your mouth tasted like burned eucalyptus leaves and rot. You felt disgust build in you, anger overpowering your fear. So you did the only thing you could do.

You bit down.

And that might have been a horrible mistake. Not-Sans ripped his phalanges from your mouth, snarling in anger as he slammed your head into the floor. Your head rang with the impact, the sickening crunch that was followed by the taste of blood in your mouth a clear indicator of a broken nose. You could only see the glint of another white bone materializing in the light of the still open window, as not-Sans lifted it above his skull, ready to strike down.

Yet the suddenness of the bite had apparently confused not-Sans enough to relinquish whatever hold he had placed on you, as you could finally move again. Gasping for air through a mouthful of blood, you bucked up, followed by a kick which would have connected with the bastards jaw, had he not grabbed your ankle and spun you around, on your back. The change of position made the back of your head slam back into the floor and a sharp pain to radiate from your ankle and your skull. Dazed you lay there, looking up at not-Sans as he ranted, his words only filtering through the ringing in your ears occasionally. You clearly made out as he called you a bitch, yet couldn’t really get your eyes to focus on him.

Did this feel like cotton in your ears? Was there thunder? Why were there lights flashing across your vision? 

Not-Sans glared at you, anger evident in his eyelight, followed quickly by confusion. His hand, which had reached for the back of his skull without you noticing, pulled back with dust trailing it. 

And where did the scent of rain and honey come from?

Not-Sans locked eyes with you… Sans barged in.

Your Sans.

The room filled with the scent of petrichor and sheer electricity as Sans, handsome, smart, lazy,  _ terrifying _ , started for the not-Sans, eyelight switching from yellow to blue, or was that you imagining things, and how were there two of him… 

You blinked, feeling as if you had just lost track of time, where one second you were lying on the ground, the next someone held you tightly against their chest, but you couldn’t tell who. Why did the scent of burning eucalyptus smell so entrancing, oh and how that dust looked so beautiful in the purple light, glittering and-

“one -ve closer and--- dust her myse---” your captors voice trickled into your ears in broken fragments through the cotton enveloping your brain and the ringing in your head. You swayed on your feet, the hand on your lower back tightening, and you felt so warm and your head felt so heavy, and the cotton grew.

The purple light intensified, a loud crash from behind you made you duck your head into the space between the hoodie's neck and shoulder, the sounds surrounding it piercing through the cotton with a loud ringing. 

Then you’re being shoved away, warmth ripped from your trembling swaying body, and you’re sent stumbling in the opposite direction of the purple heat, leaving the cold to wrap around you in swatches. 

Time seems to slow. You can barely understand what is happening before your barely open eyes. A bone is flying towards you, the scent of burned eucalyptus and rot washing over you, an orange blur you can barely see through the tears you didn’t know you’d been crying, the taste of blood in your mouth and Sans… your lovely Sans… with the most scared and shocked look you’d ever seen on him, locking eyelights with your own (E/C) irises…

The feeling of sharp bone against your own bone came before the pain. It felt grating, a sense of nails on chalkboard, or ceramic on a plate. The world, suddenly, snapped into focus, the fog parting for the gripping pain that followed. 

Your distressed shriek, Stretch bending over with a huff and Sans materializing in front of you happened all at the same time. While before the world had been in a stand still, it now seemed to rush too fast, as if a video tape had caught and sprung back. Behind you you heard someone swear, Sans gripped you against his own chest, one arm hanging limply, the door bursting open revealing Jess’ pale frantic face, another pop and another skeleton stood in the room.

The overwhelming scents, the light from the bulb you had only now realized Jess had turned on, the loud noise of the chaos, your upstairs neighbor banging on the floor and the taste of blood all combined into one large coil in your stomach. Pushing away from Sans you grabbed a discarded handbag laying on the floor and proceeded to empty the contents of your stomach into it.

You could feel cool phalanges holding your hair back, before Jess filled your vision, holding mouthwash and a cup in front of you. She knew how much the taste of bile bothered you and you could only count how many times she’d done this for you during the course of your long friendship… and you for her.

Your friend, amazing as she was, quickly discarded the bag without you even noticing, taking the cup from you where you had spit back into to get the foul taste from your mouth… had she been there at all? How had they all gotten in, weren’t you just having dinner earlier with Jess-

A deep growl behind you had you look up, in time to identify Mutt, who pulled you into his arms, holding you protectively as if you’d break away from him if he so much as let you touch the ground. The fact you felt so weak and lethargic and the cotton, fog and loud ringing that filled your head again kept you from being anything but confused. The rising scent of barbecue sauce and cloves had your stomach rolling again and you fought back against the nausea. 

“NO MUTT, don’t ‘port her! you don’t understand, she’ll-”

Mutt clung harder to you and snarled a “Watch me” before he plunged.

And the plunge had you reeling in place.

It felt different from the last time you’d arrived. It didn’t feel like falling as much as it felt like being sucked out of existence. The pulling pressure started at the tips of your hair, before pulling on your skin, meant and bones. It didn’t hurt, but the feeling was entirely uncomfortable. 

This time, you were prepared for the pain though. As soon as the void sucked you in, the green wave of strings grabbed a hold of you and you grit your teeth against the feeling of your cells vibrating against each other. Yet the pain felt dampened, as if several strings had given slack. While not broken, you could feel some of them tugging and not ripping from you. 

Yet, the thing that most surprised you came in the form of hands.

So… many… hands. Some had the strings intertwined with their phalanges, other strings went straight through the hole in them. Some were pulling them towards you, while others held on as if it was their lifeline… and some… grabbed a hold of your ankle with enough force to bruise, squishing the strings between its skeletal fingers and your flesh.

The thick string which connected your to Mutt, whom you could see struggling to pull you back towards him by it, pulsed with your panic as you tried to kick the hand off of you, yet remembered the state of immobility the millions of strings holding onto you placed you in with a new surge of pain as the hands released you. All hands but the one held firmly against your ankle.

The pain returned tenfold then, electrons, neutrons, cells and atoms, dust and blood and pure existence pulled you into every direction, and you felt like a coiled star, ready to burst rhythmically into a pulsar. 

Then Mutts arms wrapped around you, a wave of cool relief numbed your pain slightly and you jumped back into reality, as if jumping into a pool but in reverse, and your cells were all together, and your hands were still in one piece and your eyes hadn’t popped like grapes, and the blood remained pumping through your veins, and the hand on your ankle tightened-

You shrieked, kicking your leg out, ripping away from Mutt as you did so. The sudden movement and force dislodged the hand from you Ankle, sending it skittering across the floor. The movement though threw you off balance, falling on your side, a scream of pain caught in your throat as you landed on your still very much bleeding shoulder.

Your head throbbed, the cotton and the ringing causing you to lose any perception of sound, the pain from your shoulder, ankle and other parts of your body prompting you to curl into yourself to protect your most fragile human organs instinctively.

Would it be ok to sleep? Would you be safe? Was Jess ok? What day was today… why did everything hurt so much…

Maybe you could get a cat some day…

Where was Sans?

You hung onto the mental image of your skeleton boyfriend, flower in his nose, with your other taller skeletal boyfriend looking both indignant and amused as you slowly let yourself drift into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm.... I'm sorry! TT.TT I've started streaming more seriously, along with work, side hussle and trying to have a social life, I have seriously been disregarding this.  
> My beta is awesome, I'm sorry I keep ghosting you :(

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you read this far, thank you!  
> Some characters will seem OOC, but I do hope I can put the reasoning for it into words.


End file.
